Vampires, Ronins, and Warlords: Oh, my!
by DarkFlame136
Summary: Rekka's tired of the same old scenery, so he moves with his 'friend' to Japan. Dais is tired of his roommate, so he moves in as well. What happens next? Wait and see! And what's this about back-to-school? And...how old is Talpa REALLY?
1. Roommates From the Bad Place?

Disclaimer: I own neither the Ronins nor the Warlords, but everyone else is MINE, you hear me?!?! *ahem*. Taco Bell and Frosted Flakes ain't mine, either. What does this have to do with the story? Read to find out!  
PS: This story happens after another one, but I'm trying not to make any references to the one before this. If some things do seem a little confusing, let me know, k?.   
  
DarkFlame136  
Rekka felt like shit. His brother had failed to mention that school started the next day, so he had spent the night exploring the area where his new home was. He still to this day was not sure why he had accepted Andros' offer to live with him in the house he had inherited. If was on the other side of the damn globe, for crying out loud. He knew he could still visit his old home whenever he wished, but that was not the point. To make matters worse, his older brother, Adrian, had decided to come along as well. Thankfully, he would not be arriving until next week. However, he had still made his life miserable from across the ocean by leaving a message on the answering machine saying that his records had been transferred to the high school in the area and that he could start as soon as break was over--which happened to be the next day.  
So, Rekka had only managed to get three hours of sleep. He didn't know about his room mate, but he planned on tearing his brother in half the next time he saw him. 'One week until wholesale slaughter' he thought.   
Just then, Andros looked in on him. "Glad to see you woke up on time. I heard I would have more success in necromancy than trying to wake you up!"  
Rekka sat up with an annoyed look, but asked in a calm voice, "What else did you hear?"  
"That you have a rather bad temper, but I've seen this for myself."  
"And?"  
"And...?" was the confused answer.  
"You could have told me that school started today, Andros."  
"Oh. I thought you already knew."  
Rekka was about to scream something very impolite when he checked himself. Instead, he sighed. "Just get the hell out so I can get ready."  
Andros remained calm. "It's a little late to be modest, but if you insist."  
"ANDROS!"  
"Well, I certainly have no regrets." With that, he left.   
  
Rekka was glad he left; it is quite rude to punch you host in the face, and Rekka had promised his friend, Cerulean, that he would try to be civil. The key word, of course, was try.   
He grabbed something out of the closet (extremely thankful that Andros had decided to get his own room) and went into the bathroom.   
  
Dais threw open the kitchen door with murder in his eyes and toothpaste in his hand. Seeing his target, he stomped up to the table.  
"What the hell is this?"  
Kale, pouring a second bowl of Frosted Flakes, looked up and said, "A tube of toothpaste."  
"WRONG! it's my tube of toothpaste. And it's empty." Seeing that his own roommate was eating his cereal with out even paying attention, he also added, "And what possessed you to use my washcloth and towel?"  
Kale swallowed, dished out another spoonful, and said, "Because I forgot to get a new set for myself."  
"And you couldn't walk your ass out to the closet and get a new one?"  
"Well, I was naked at the time and it's a little chilly in the mornings."  
Dais was about to say something else, when an unsummoned picture of Kale streaking through the hallway flashed before his eye. He made a face. "Kale?"  
*crunch, crunch* "Hm?"  
"Thank you for giving me my next nightmare." He sighed, throwing the tube of toothpaste on the table and going to make some tea, or coffee, or even chocolate milk--anything to get that horrendous scene out of his head.  
*crunch, *crunch "You're not going to eat anything?"  
"I have lost my appetite."  
"You and me both," moaned Anubis, who was next to come in. "I hope you guys don't mind, but I used you shower. Seeing the look Dais gave him, he added, "I brought my own stuff, which was very fortunate of me. Your towel smells like ass."  
"Does it?" he glared at Kale, who was trying not to laugh.   
Dais was pissed. "Considering that it's your ass that he smelled, I really don't think you should be laughing."  
This made him laugh even harder; unfortunately, he also had cereal in his mouth. Soon after, he started choking.   
As Kale's face began to turn red, Dais made conversation "So, what made you not feel like eating?"  
Kale could be heard hacking in the background. "Take a guess," Anubis sat and put his head down on the table.  
"Sekhmet had Taco Bell again?"  
"Well, not as bad, but it's still nauseating."  
Dais said he gave up. Kale would have said the same, but he as still trying to make the food in his throat go up or down.  
Without looking up, Anubis filled them in, "I found Sekhmet's underwear hanging over the mirror."  
"What's so bad about that?" Dais turned off the kettle, since the water was boiling. "Want something?"  
"Sure. I'll take coffee, I don't care which flavor. As for your other question....it was a thong. You do the math."  
Dais had taken a sip of his own tea before the other had answered. Now it was his turn to choke.   
Kale, in the meantime, had managed to swallow what was stuck in his throat. Gasping for breath and feeling the color come back into his face (which had turned white from the ordeal), he glared at his so-called friends with teary eyes and rasped, "You f***s couldn't help me?"  
Anubis looked up, "You seemed to be doing fine on your own."  
Dais came over with the latter's drink, "Besides, you had that coming for a long time. You're lucky I didn't choke you for leaving my soap in the toilet."  
Kale wiped his eyes. "Well, I certainly was not going to go in and get it."  
"You use my shampoo--"  
"It smells good."  
"You don't change the toilet paper when it runs out--"  
"I leave you a few sheets."  
"And you wear my underwear whenever you run out, because you don't do laundry until the hamper is overflowing and/or it smells like a damn compost pile!" He finished, practically shouting.  
"It's not like I put them back without washing them, besides, they're silky."  
Anubis gagged on his coffee. Dais wished he had a knife.   
"I don't give a rat's ass what you do; I don't know what I myself have done to deserve this, but you are THE most vile, lazy, and altogether trifling roommate on this whole damn planet!"  
The truth was, Sekhmet was the worst, but this was before Anubis made him give up most of his habits (i.e., leaving his nail clippings everywhere, letting his pet cobra drag dead rodents into corners and leave them to fester, not doing his own laundry (if it ever got done at all), etc., etc.). However, seeing Dais' present mood, Kale and Anubis decided to keep this to themselves. After a few moments of silence, the fourth warlord entered the kitchen. With wet hair, bare feet, and nothing on save a pair of underwear.   
"Can't you put on a shirt or something?" Anubis scowled.  
"As if you've never walked around like this." He went to the fridge and began rummaging around.  
"Not when everyone else is in here."  
Sekhmet didn't answer; he found the milk and after a short pause, decided to drink it straight out of the carton.   
Kale had another spoonful of cereal in his mouth. He stopped chewing; he had enough space in his mouth to talk around. "How offin' do you do that?"  
Sekhmet wiped his face with the back of his hand. "Almost every day. why?"  
Kale said nothing. He emptied the chewed-up Frosted Flakes out of his mouth and into his bowl. Then he moved back his chair and left the room, taking the toothpaste with him. Neither of the two guys left in the room knew whether or not Sekhmet had seen this. Coming over to the table with a bowl of his own, he grabbed the box of cereal.   
"Damn, empty." Seeing the bowl of cereal sitting on the table where Kale used to be, he sat down and began to finish it.   
Anubis looked sick. "Um...Sekhmet?"  
*crunch, *crunch "Hm?"  
"Never mind." He sighed, returning to his coffee.  
Dais, who was also at the table by now, started chuckling. Then, he began to outright laugh.  
Anubis was the first to respond, "Have you lost what's left of your damn mind?"  
"After living with you slobs, who wouldn't," He calmed down. "I'm moving out. Today. After I tell Lord Talpa."  
"Do you think he'll let you?"  
"Either way I'm going, with or without his permission. I don't know how much more of this I can take before I snap."  
*crunch, *slurp. "Where'er you goin'?"  
"Someplace where my roommate is not a transfer from a flophouse."   
SLUUUUUUURRRRRRRRRPPPPPP!!!!!  
It was bad enough that he had to put up with Kale; hearing Sekhmet's infernal slurping was not improving his mood in the least. Then, he snapped. Snatching the milk carton, he grabbed Sekhmet by the hair, pulled back his head and poured very, very, slowly.  
***********~~~~~~~~~~~***********~~~~~~~~~~***********~~~~~~~~********~~~*  
  
And remember, ladies and gents, review and let me know if this is as good as I think it is or worse ^^;;; 


	2. KiddiesDo NOT Try This at Home!

Disclaimer: If it means that much to 'ya, then check out the top of ch. 1. Some new additions, though--obviously, Briam Stoker, Anne Rice, and Dr. Seusse belong to their respective mothers and fathers and fans. Hey--maybe I really DO own them! **someone comes, whispers in DarkFlame's ear**  
What? I don't own them? Aw, nuts. Oh, well, those guys rule no matter what anyone else says, and so do "Green Eggs and Ham" and "Hop On Pop", which I also don't hold any rights to. Ciao for now!  
  
DarkFlame136  
  
Destiny Lot- Glad you like it so far! I'm working on the rest of it  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
Rekka got out of the shower as the phone rang. He didn't bother to answer it, since he figured it was for Andros, anyway. and if it was his brother, he could not guarantee that every other word to him would not start with an "f" if he answered it.   
After getting dressed in his usual black ensemble, he went downstairs. Andros was still on the phone, and he threw Rekka a cautious glance. The latter noticed, but did not ask him about it. He instead occupied himself with making a cup of expresso strong enough to give an elephant seizures. Andros, in turn, noticed this, but he continued his conversation.  
"Anyway, are you sure you want to do this? I mean, my friend is a lot like me in living habits, but he's a little more...eccentric. And what will---oh, I see." he paused. "Just promise me you'll stay away from sharp, pointy objects and I'll talk to him." Another pause, followed by a very disagreeable face. "Yes, I still have an aversion to spiders; we had that issue the LAST time we were stuck with each other. *sigh* Fine, but no promises. I'll call back after school or during lunch or something. Ja-ne."  
Hanging up, he saw his other friend giving him a peculiar look. "It's a long story, but to make it short--"  
"Please do."  
"--an old friend of mine wants to know if he can move in. I told him I'd check with you first and get back to him later."  
Rekka raised an eyebrow. "How old?"  
"Old enough," Andros smiled. He himself wasn't exactly very young. At least, not in human years, though he looked around 16 or 17. However, he was definitely NOT a fledgling according to the calendar his kind uses.  
Rekka took a sip of his stimulant, winced, and started to say something, but instead made a face of his own.  
Andros laughed, "I figured you would get a nosebleed from that!"  
"My nose is NOT bleeding!" he shot back, "It just feels like it is. What I was going to say is that you might not want to flash any big, stupid, toothy-grins, if you know what I mean."  
"I know well enough how to keep them hidden. Besides, at least I actually smile. The way you go about brooding makes it seem as if someone died."  
"Well, it's not like we're really alive, anyway, is it?"  
Andros rolled his silver-green eyes, "If you believe that shit; it's thanks to Briam Stoker and Ann Rice that people get so many misconceptions about us."  
"Hey, man, watch it; I love those guys! Especially Ann Rice. I think you may enjoy some of her work."  
"Whatever floats you boat, but I'll stick to the Greek and Latin classics."  
"And Dr. Seusse."  
"Bitch," he laughed again, "but even you have to admit that you've read Green Eggs and Ham at least 50 times!"  
"Nope," Rekka corrected, "I liked Hop on Pop! and Shakespeare."  
"Yes, he does rock."  
Rekka looked surprised. "Did you just use slang?"  
"I may be a few hundred years old, but it's not like I'm out of touch." He looked at the clock. "We need to get going. Is your pen-pal going to meet us?"  
Rekka was dumping more sugar into his expresso. "You're going to have a f***ing heart-attack if you keep it up."  
'I'll walk it off. As for you question...yes, I think Rowen said he'd meet us. We've talked via video mail sometimes in real-time, and I guess he remembers what I look like. I remember HIM anyway. Who can forget a pale guy with blue hair?"  
"Or an Asian/Native-American vampire with green eyes?"  
"Shut the hell up, blondie." With that, he chugged the rest of his so-called "elixir of life"--and immediately wished he was dead.  
Adrian whistled. "Shit, man, that's one hell of a nosebleed! Are you sure that white, crystalline substance in your coffee was sugar?"  
Rekka, holding a dripping, now-crimson napkin under his nose with one hand, flipped his friend off with the other. "That wasn't an offer, either!" he spat, noticing his friend's dubious look. "Too bad," was the sincere response.  
  
After somehow getting Rekka's nose to stop bleeding, they had just enough time for him to take another shower and change while Andros cleaned up the kitchen ("I feel like a wench," he growled). Of course, the latter had to drive like a madman in order for them to not be late on their first day. While Andros kept his foot on the accelerator almost the entire time (he somehow managed to stop for traffic lights and pedestrians once they got into the city), Rekka wondered how much of him would be left to identify if--no, when--his crazy-ass-lunatic companion forgot to slow down before a turn. In total, he managed to count around 150 different fatal car accidents that they didn't get involved in before getting to school. Upon seeing the building, Rekka almost wept from sheer joy. As Andros he swerved into the parking lot like Ace Ventura, Rekka finally did something he ment to do as soon as he got in the car: scream.  
"WHERE THE F*** DID YOU GET YOUR F****N LICENSE, YOU F****N MANIAC?!"  
Andros shrugged, unbuckling his seat belt. "Chicago."  
"THE RACETRACK OR A BOX OF CRACKERJACKS?!"  
"Actually, it was a box of Crackerjacks I was eating at the racetrack. Are you coming or what?" Seeing that his friend didn't move an inch, he sighed and threw up his hands. "Fine; I'll let you drive on the way home, but it was either this or detention."  
"You're still paying for my group therapy to cure my trauma."  
"Whatever." He got out of the car and got their stuff out of the back seat. Then he noticed the dark haired youth had still not moved an inch. "What the hell is it now?"  
"My teeth won't stop rattling."  
  
If Andros was human, not only would he not have been able to drag both himself and Rekka to homeroom on time, but he also would not have been able to drive at or near 150 mph and still be in tune with everything around them. Since the person he was dragging wasn't human, either, he had no sympathy for his mental shock.  
"Remind me NOT to take you to any amusement parks," he snarled, bearing his teeth. In truth, they were only a minute late, but Andros still detested not being punctual.  
"Yeah, well remind me to call a taxi. I'd rather hitchhike than get in a car with your dysfunctional ass."  
"Well if YOUR dysfunctional ass didn't make that speed drink, we wouldn't have had to rush!"  
"It's not like you had to help me! Besides, I would have eventually stopped twitching."  
By this time, they had reached their classroom. Andros quickly explained that they had gotten lost, which was partially true (they had somehow gone in circles once or twice before Rekka pointed out that they passed the same rooms before). Fortunately for both of them, their teacher was understanding.   
"Seeing that it's your first day, I'll let you two off the hook. Just don't make a habit of it."  
"We won't," "We will," they answered at the same time. Rekka ignored the poison glare Andros shot his way.  
"Well, don't just stand in the door! Come introduce yourselves."  
"Very well," Rekka pushed past Andros on purpose. "My name is Starshine Rekka. The angry-looking blond behind me is--"  
"Sianto Andros. You will have to excuse my friend: he's been under a lot of stress lately."  
*Kinda like your car engine*  
*Later, my friend*  
No one but the two of them could hear the last part of that conversation. Which is just as well, because by the time the teacher told them to have a seat (which was a few seconds later), they were throwing obscenities at each other fowl enough to make a sailor blush.  
"Rekka! over here!" someone called. Turning towards the voice, he stopped in the middle of a particularly unsavory insult concerning his friend's anatomy. He didn't know how this person knew him, but for some reason, the other teenager looked like him. At a second glance, though, the similarities were not that exact. It still freaked him out, though.  
"Um, sure." He walked to the middle of the room and sat in the desk across from him. "Do I know you?"  
The other laughed, "Probably not, but I recognize you! Rowen showed us a few of the pictures you sent him on-line."  
Something clicked. "Oh, yeah! He sent me some photos of you guys, too. You're Ryo, right? Sheesh, he said you looked a bit like me, but I thought I was going crazy when I saw you a few seconds ago!"  
"Yeah, I had a shock myself! Have you and Andros known each other as long as you've known Rowen?"  
The former was already entertaining a group of young ladies on the other side of the room. Rekka made a face, "Luckily, no. We met last year, and it's been hell ever since."  
Andros apparently heard this; he looked over and winked. Rekka flipped him off for the second time that day.  
"Looks like someone's jealous," Ryo commented.  
"No, just extremely put-out," he sighed, running his hands through his hair. "I spent the morning cheating death, and I'm not in a very good mood right now."  
Ryo looked at the clock; seeing that they had another five minutes, he offered to help him find his classes.  
"You have the first one with me. I think Rowen's in all of your classes, so at least you'll know someone there. As for gym, all seven of us should be in that together, if you count Andros. what's so funny?"  
Ryo frowned not at the smile Rekka's face, but the nasty glint in his eye that came with it. "Just imagining a baseball smashing into Andros' face," the latter said.  
"Actually, I think we're doing soccer for the first few weeks."  
Rekka's grin grew wider and even more predatorial. "Even better."  
Ryo blinked a few times, and was very glad when the bell rang; he must have been seeing things. While walking his new acquaintance to class, he shook his head. 'I need to go to bed earlier. There's no way his teeth could have been that long!'  
********~~~~~~~~~~*********~~~~~~~~********~~~~~~~~********~~~~~~*******~~  
  
Note: In case anyone's wondering: Yes, Andros and Rekka are vampires with a more-than-friendly relationship. And, no, I don't own CrackerJacks or Shakespeare, either. But that's OK. Someday, I will own the world! Muhahahahaha!!!!! Just click that little button and make that raving lunatic of an authoress happy with a review or two! 


	3. Hot or Cold, Revenge is Sweet

Disclaimer: Same as usual--Undead mine, Ronins not.  
::meanwhile, back at the Dynasty::  
Dais went around his room, picking up and packing everything that was his. Well, everything he did not plan on burning to rid it of his former room mate's taint. He was sorry indeed when he came across his favorite shirt. He found it with a stain on it, stashed in the back of the closet.  
Taking one look at it, he fished his Flippo lighter out of his pocket and torched it on the spot.  
Anubis stood in the doorway, watching his every move. Catching his leader's surprised expression, he simply stated, "I would rather cleanse this shirt with fire than even attempt to wash it."  
"Personally, I think you just sent it to hell."  
Dais raised an eyebrow, staring at the half-flaming garment. "Anubis: If Kale wore this, I think I just saved it's immortal soul."  
"Whatever." He paused. "You really are going through with this, aren't you?"  
"Oh, yes," he dropped the shirt on Kale's bed. Now it was Anubis' turn to raise an eyebrow. Dais, hardly noticing the catching fire, continued to take his clothes out of the closet. "It's not like I am leaving the Dynasty, if that's what you are worried about. Besides, I have not seen Andros in ages. Literally," Dais looked at Anubis to see how he'd take his last statement. He only shook his head.  
"You are either a brave soul or a foolish man to move in with a vampire, never mind two of them."  
Dais only smiled. "Would you share a room with Kale?"  
Anubis let him have that one. "Good point."  
After a few more minutes, he had finished tracking down his belongings. By this time, Kale's entire bed was at least three-fourths engulfed in flames. Taking one last look around the room, he clapped his hands together. "Well, time to go." Dais picked up two of his boxes and headed out past Anubis.  
The latter just stood there, staring at the burning mattress. "You know you're going to get your ass kicked for this, right?"  
"Yeah," he stopped, turning around with a wicked grin. "But every minute will be worth it."  
Again facing the makeshift bonfire--which had began to climb up the wall--Anubis once again had to agree with him.  
  
At school, Andros was having issues of his own. He simply could not decide whether to let Rekka have his fun or pay him back in full. 'I'm sure he was mad about something, so whatever it was, he's over it now.' Rubbing his sore chest, he growled. 'He damn well better be, anyway.'  
Rekka, sensing his friend's attitude from across the room, simply smiled, blowing a kiss.  
Rowen, always observant, caught him in the act. "Sheesh, man! First day, and you're already making a move!"  
"I suppose you could say that," he said slowly, grabbing three desserts to go with his lunch.   
"Slow down, Rekka; wouldn't want to lose your figure," Kento laughed, getting his own lunch.  
"I am positively ravenous. I haven't had that good of a work out in a LONG time."  
The truth was, it HAD been a while since he last had a worthy opponent. Or a good reason to flatten someone. Andros had given him both that day in gym class.  
  
::earlier last period::  
Ryo's prediction holding true, they were playing soccer for the first week or so. Andros, having never played before, had not been sure of what to do. He had said as much to the coach, who had assured him he would catch on pretty quickly.   
He had caught on to something, all right. At first, he did not pay any attention when his companion had drafted him to be one of the goalies. "It will give you a chance to watch the game in action. All you have to do is keep me from scoring a hit--I mean, goal." Well, that sounded simple enough, since he could even use his hands, which the other players could not.  
Not that it helped much. They had both agreed beforehand not to use any of their abilities in public unless in the most dire of emergencies.   
By watching Ryo and Rekka hog the ball to themselves (Rowen was fowled for tripping someone), Andros began to see what the game was about. Actually, it looked kinda fun. Maybe next game he'd play center--  
"Heads up, Andros!" one of his teammates shouted as Ryo came towards him with the ball. Judging by his movements, he predicted that he would kick it hard to the left. He planned on waiting until the next-to-last moment before moving to block so he himself would not be second-guessed. Then, something totally unexpected happened.   
At the next-to-next-to-last moment, Ryo and Rekka--who had been behind him the whole time--switched places. In a move only a vampire could perform, Rekka shifted to the right and moved in front of his look-alike. Using only a portion of his super-strength, he drove the ball hard to the right, where Andros turned since he was expecting it to go there, anyway.   
The latter immediately noticed that the ball would not go in the net. 'Too far over, Rekka. Serves you right for pulling that stunt.' He turned with a slightly amused to his ball-hogging companion, who, for some odd reason, had the most detrimental, ill-meaning grin on his face that Andros had ever seen in his entire (very long) lifetime. Feeling very sick indeed, he looked for the ball. 'What's he--?' "Oh, sh--!"  
A lot had happened so far in the space of three seconds. In the next two, the ball ricocheted off of the right side of the goal and headed towards the distressed goalie. Taken by surprise, Andros had no time whatsoever to react before the soccer ball--wet from the grass that the sprinklers had watered early that morning--smacked him full-force in the chest, knocking him into the other side of the goal. Unfortunately for him, the force with which he hit the goal caused it to fall over on top of both him and the ball.  
"GOAL!!!" shouted a very excited Rekka, who was weak with laughter along with most of the other players from both teams. The only people who were truly concerned were the girls ("Poor Andros!" they wailed), Sage, and Cye. As for the rest of the Ronins, well, they were rolling on the ground and slapping high-fives with the other guys (Ryo, along with the coach, were trying their damnedest not to laugh).   
"Is he OK?" a concerned Cye asked Sage.   
Halo did not respond immediately. Instead, he walked over to Rekka. "You did that on purpose, didn't you?"  
Rekka, still giddy from his brilliant play, totally missed the point of his question. "The ball still went in the net, though!"  
Staggering from laughter, he moved towards his prostate buddy, who had not moved an inch. **giggle** "I'm sorry, man, but," **teeheehee** "You've had that coming all morning!" **Haha--Ack!**  
If he had not leaned too close to the net, then maybe he would have had time to get out of the way before Andros grabbed him by the throat. Lifting his face off of the grass, he snarled, "I suggest you catch the bus home, you sneaky little asshole."   
Attempting to be the mediator, Cye stepped in. "Woah, hold on, mate! I'm sure he didn't mean--" the words died in his throat as he was hit with a glare with twice as much poison as Sekhmet's katanas.  
"You really DON'T know him very well, do you?"  
For some sick reason, Rekka started laughing again. Andros just dug his nails further into the bastard's trachea, cutting him off quite abruptly.  
"Hah--" **gag!, followed by strangling noises**  
  
Recalling the events of last bell, Andros had to smile a little. 'I must admit, he has become faster. And a little more clever, too.'   
The guys all came over from the lunch line. "Well, it's nice to see you're in better spirits," Cye hazarded, sitting across from him (and one chair over).   
"Oh, that reminds me," Rowen turned to Rekka as they sat down, "how DID they ever get him to let go of your neck?"  
"I can't quite remember, but I don't think that crowbar can be used anymore," he winced involuntarily. Andros caught his discomfort and smiled sweetly, "Some object lessons are learned the hardest."  
  
::at Talpa's castle::  
Kale stares at his side of the room, which has been totally gutted by fire. "DAIS!!!!!!! I'LL GET YOU FOR THIS; MARK MY WORDS, YOU CROSS-DRESSER!!!!"  
Kayura (aside to Anubis) "What's he talking about?"  
Anubis (to Kayura) "It's a long story, but Dais won the bet."  
******~~~~~~~~*********~~~~~~~~~~************~~~~~~~~~~**********~~~~~~~**  
  
Well, that's chapter the third. I suppose I may actually add a plot to this little work, but we'll see what comes up. I just hope I don't jinx myself with all this roommate from hell stuff--this is my last year of high school *_*. Eh, well, if anyone actually reads this who knows a thing or two about college roomies, can you give me a heads-up? I know it's different from school-to-school, but I still want to know what I'm in for. Alluve!  
DarkFlame136 


	4. Setting the Stage

Disclaimer: Feh. Who needs one at this point? Nothing's changed, though, so don't sue me. Not that you'd win, since I take AP Government *evil grin* I DO kinda wish I owned Kingdom Hearts, though. That game's cool. And I'd be rich.   
**Looks around at audience** I don't suppose an explanation's in order for why I took so long to get this up. To tell the truth, I had written or at least started Chapters 1-3 last year. So, I still have to a.) write the rest of this crazy thing, and b.) deal with school. And getting sick. In other words, I hate getting sick, 'cause then c.) I have to catch up with school o Anyway, on with the show!  
  
DarkFlame136  
Sage had been watching Rekka closely for the rest of the day after the incident at gym. In fact, he had kept an eye on Andros as well, but not quite for the same reasons.   
When the last bell rang, he caught up Rowen at his locker. Though he practically had to climb in his locker to find his history book, Rowen could sense his friend's presence from the bond they shared. This was also how he knew that something was up.  
"Hey, man, what's up?"  
Sage stared at him hard. "How long have you known Rekka?"  
Closing the door, he counted back. "Ummm...I think around a year, though we have never met in person before now. Oh, I see," he added, seeing the other's expression (which had not changed).  
"So you noticed, too?"  
"Eh, his sense of humor isn't exactly kosher, but from what I've seen and heard, he isn't any worse than me."  
Sage shook his head. "He is not normal PERIOD. You saw what he did at gym: there's no way any normal person would be able to move that fast!"  
Rowen looked confused. "Actually, I didn't even see what happened--"  
"Exactly! The only reason I saw it was because, well, you know..."  
"What? that you're a weirdo?"  
"Don't change the subject," they both started down the hall towards the parking lot. "What DID you see?"  
"Hmm," he chewed his lip, "I know Ryo had the ball most of the way down the field on the other side. Then he passed it to Rekka..." he trailed off, seeing Sage once again shaking his head. "OK, then, what do YOU think happened, Sherlock?"  
"Ryo never passed the ball--Rekka came from behind, cut in, and nailed the shot."  
"But that's impossible! The only way that could have happened was if Ryo had slowed down!"  
By this time, they had left the building. Instead of going to his car, though, Sage headed towards the benches. Once they were seated, Sage continued to grill his friend about their new acquaintances. "Anything else look suspicious?"  
"Yeah--the coach was actually trying NOT to laugh--Ow!"  
"Get serious," Sage knocked him on the head.  
Rubbing his sore head, "Look, bitch--er, Sage--," he ducked another hit, "I don't know what you're getting at, so why don't you just tell me?"  
"And you're supposed to be the smart one, dumbass--er, Rowen. Anyway, how is Andros doing? That ball hit him pretty hard."  
Rowen laughed at the memory, "Oh, yeah. That was the funniest thing I have seen in a looonnnng time! That was probably like getting hit by a...Dynasty soldier. And he just walked off like it was nothing! That guy's pretty hard-core!"  
Sage sighed, running a hand through his hair. "How much sugar did you have for lunch?"  
"Er...enough..." Rowen said, a little sheepish. "Anyway, I plan on dropping by their place a bit later. Wanna come?"  
Not wasting any time, he replied, "Yeah. I don't know what he--they are, but at certain times when one or both of them are close by, I get this weird feeling...like their trying to hide something."  
"Heh. Kinda like us, huh?" In response to the blank look that Sage gave him, Rowen added, "Our armor, man!"  
"Oh. I knew that." Getting up, they then made their way to Sage's green Saturn, but not before Rowen made an observation of his own. "Blondes. Sheesh. I feel sorry for Rekka: Andros is platinum!"  
  
Rekka was the first to see the silver-haired guy on the front step. He seemed intent on...ringing the doorbell.   
In the car, he nudged Andros. "Anything you want to tell me? I mean, don't get me wrong, but it's not every day that you see a pirate on your doorstep." Leaning in closer, he hazarded, "You're not...part of the "family", are you?"  
Andros, in the middle of unbuckling his seat belt, turned slowly to his seemingly half-wit companion. "No, Rekka, I am not part of the MAFIA. Why would I join a Sicilian-revolutionary group?"  
"Well, you ARE European--"  
"And you're a dumbass," Andros got out of the car. "And, technically, it's Australian."  
"Will do, mate. Oi!"  
As much as he wanted to strangle him for the second time that day, he checked his actions. 'I think I may have squeezed too hard, anyway. The lack of oxygen must have killed some serious brain-cells.'  
While Rekka got their books, etc., out of the car, Andros paid a visit to an old friend. "Dais. What the hell are you doing?"  
The guy looking in the window turned. "Oh, hey, Andros. I'm just trying to wake you up. Hey! What are you doing out here?"  
Andros rolled his eyes. 'Blondes' "Um...I don't sleep during the day."  
"You used to."  
Rekka, now at the door as well, raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure there's nothing you'd like me to know."  
With a slight eye-twitch, he responded, "Dais, Rekka; Rekka, Dais. Now move so I can unlock the door."  
Dais stepped aside, letting him by. "What's with him?"  
"Probably still SORE about that incident at gym," Rekka purposely emphasized the word "sore". He also suddenly found himself on his ass. WHACK!!!  
Andros stood over him, "I am not in the mood right now, so do not push it. Got it?"  
Rekka got up, slightly indignant. "I suppose I deserved that. Yeah, sure. Push over, I gotta pee." He shoved past the other two and into the house. Well, sortta, anyway, since before he actually got inside his ass once again said hi to the ground. WHAM!!!   
"Dammit, Andros! Get rid of that damn barrier!" he made sure his nose wasn't broken or anything while glaring up at an offended Andros. The latter shrugged, walking into the house. "Come on, Dais, I'll show you which room's yours."  
Dais did not move, since he could still see the air move around the door. "After you take that thing down."  
"It's down," Andros' face was completely impassive.  
Dais shrugged. Not wanting to get in the middle of their little skirmish, he walked through the barrier. Rekka, not really paying attention to anything, followed after, and had a moment of deja-vu.   
WHAM!!! "Dammit!"   
  
::at Dynasty::  
Everyone's in the living room. Sekhmet and Anubis are watching Kale get his ass kicked on Kingdom Hearts.   
"Dammit!"  
"Man, you suck. Give someone else a turn," Sekhmet complained.   
"You can't beat Riku, either!"  
"No," he admitted, "but I'm swinging with Tarzan in the Deep Jungle!"  
"Please! Dais beat the entire game in a few days," Anubis reminded him.  
"Two, technically," Kayura corrected, coming in and sitting next to Kale, "he just had to go back for those damn puppies."  
"But they're so cute!!" Sekhmet gushed.  
"F*** him," Kale growled. "I'm still going to get him for that last prank."  
"Gotta admit, you had it coming for a long time," Anubis commented.  
"Well, since he's gone, there's a bit more room for you guys," Kayura pointed out, "and I'm sure he won't visit often for anything other than business--"  
Kale jumped up. "That's it! I'll pay him a visit! then again, I think we ALL should!"  
Everyone stared at him, suspicious at his sudden change of heart. "Well, you know, just to make sure he doesn't have any of my--er, our stuff and that he's not ditching us all together."  
Everyone then stared at Anubis. It was his choice as leader what they should do (not counting Talpa, of course, but, then, he was the only one with the balls to ask such a favor). He also knew the REAL reason Kale wanted to go, and Kale knew he know. However, what Kale did not know was that Dais was not living with only one person, at that neither of the two other people in the house were human. What did this mean? Anubis had to smile. "Sure. We need a change in scenery, anyway. I think he'll be surprised to see us again."  
"Yeah. Especially this soon," Kale's grin was rather wicked.  
Anubis smiled even more. 'I was referring to Andros, but what the hell.'  
  
::meanwhile, at Sianto manor **lol, Mystery Science Theater moment**::  
Rekka, Andros, and Dais were chilling in the den when the phone rang. Again. And it kept ringing for around a minute before anyone even bothered to glare at the other person for not responding.  
"Let's not all jump at the same time," Rekka muttered.  
"Then get off your ass and answer it," Andros offered.  
"My ass is perfectly comfortable the way it is, thank you."  
"Before, after, or during the time my foot's in it?" Andros got up, heading to the kitchen.  
Dais was trying unsuccessfully not to laugh.  
"Piss off."  
"F*** you. No, not you, Rowen," Andros had picked up the phone and pressed Talk right before answering Rekka. Silence for a few seconds. "Yeah, he's here; till I kick him out, anyway." (In the living room, Rekka flipped him yet another birdie (which brought the daily number up to three or four). Andros flipped him two, still talking to Rowen. Rekka then proceeded to take off his shoes and socks. Ignoring Dais' look, he then flipped off the blond with both hands and, well, both feet.)  
His friend's four-digit salute had Andros laughing so hard that he had to put the phone down. "What the hell?! That is--ugh! that is just unnatural!" After regaining control over himself, he apologized to Rowen. "Sorry about that. What happened? Well **swallowed laughter** Long story short, I think your pen-pal has a little too much spare time. But, anyway, I guess there's enough room for you all, too, though there's a few other people coming over as well. (Pause) Uh, I don't know what we're having, but I sure as hell am not cooking for (counts on fingers) ten extra people. (another pause) Nothing personal, but if one cooks and the other eats, it might as well be just me and--(he stops to listen) OK, then. I hope it does not take too long to decide, since almost all of us have to get up tomorrow. See you in an hour." Andros hung up. Halfway to the couch, he had second thoughts. Disappearing for a few seconds, he came back with the phone. "Just in case, though I should probably take the number out of the phone book."  
"I thought we WERE unlisted?" Dais asked, stretching out on one end of the sofa (it's one of those three section ones that take up around half of a normal-sized room).   
"Must not be, since I know you did not bother to give anyone you used to live with the number." Andros himself plopped down on the other end next to Rekka, who just gave him a curious glance. 'What's he up to?'  
Dais, meanwhile, snorted. "I'll be damned before I give THAT bit of information; they don't even have my cellphone number!" then he caught on. "Who just called?"  
"Someone from school. By the way, a few more people will be crashing here, too."  
"Works for me, as long as I don't know any of them." Dais relaxed.  
Andros, seeing his ignorance, responded with one of Rekka's evil little "if you only knew" grins (Rekka, who happened to be looking at Andros, inched over a little for his own safety). He ignored him. 'Poor Dais. He has no idea what is going on. I guess his second-sense is on vacation.'  
Rekka heard this, though it probably was not directed towards him. *Andros...what are you up to?*  
*Dais forgot to ask an important question. Yes, he asked who the last call came from, but he neglected to ask who the FIRST person was that called.*  
"Dude, you're scaring me. Stop smiling."  
"Oh, come off it. Besides, I think it's time I stopped letting you have all the fun."  
"That's not the--" Andros cut him off with a quick kiss. "Stop worrying," Andros assured him, "it will give us all a chance to catch up with old friends. Or catch something else depending on how things go, if you get my drift."  
Rekka remembered what Dais had said earlier about his, er, "parting gift" to his former roommate when he and Andros had helped him settle in. Catching on to the other's idea, he smiled in admiration. "That is pure evil."  
"I have a good sensai."  
Dais had been trying to take a nap, since he had no idea when he'd be able to go to bed. Opening his eye, he happened to turn over at the same moment Andros and Rekka shared a second kiss. Since he was pretty tired (between fighting the Ronins and putting up with Kale), it took a few seconds for that last event to fully register. In fact, he was almost asleep when it hit him.   
"Wait a sec. What the hell?" he shot up.  
"Feh. Ten minutes later," Rekka didn't even bother to look up from his government book. Andros was nowhere in sight.   
Though he probably didn't want to know, he asked what was on his mind, anyway. "Is there anything else I should know about you two--that is, in general?"  
The other regarded him closely, recalling what Andros had told him about the "new guy". "Tell you what--you don't ask where we go, and we won't ask where you go. Deal?"  
'I almost forgot about that.' Before he could stop himself, he began rubbing his neck. " 'Don't need to tell me twice."  
*********~~~~~~~~************~~~~~~~~~***********~~~~~~~~~************~~~~~~~~  
  
Well, now, looks like THAT skeleton's out of the closet. And so are Andros and Rekka **dodges thrown furniture** Hey! I was just kidding. Sortta. Anyway, I'm still not quite sure where this is going, but at least the next chapter is set. I'm also kinda wondering how many people are actually READING this, so a review or two would be nice. 'Till next time; Adios! 


	5. The Many Dangers of a Sidewalk at Five

Oooh, chapter 5. It's coming along!! After, like, months of not adding anything. I just hope I have more time to write now, since school's pretty much over for me (i graduate on the 12th--weee!!!). I don't own anything other than the usual. Despite this shortcoming (O_o;;), please read and enjoy!  
  
DarkFlame136  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
  
Six o' clock seemed a long ways off, and not just because he was hungry as hell. So, Rekka, who was also bored as hell, decided to go out and raise some.   
  
^^^***^^^ ^^^***^^^ ^^^***^^^ ^^^***^^^   
  
Interestingly enough, at the same time Rekka went out the door, Sage decided to take a walk as well.   
  
  
  
"Don't stay out too long," Mia warned, we're leaving around 5:30."  
  
  
  
That just gave him an hour. "Works for me."  
  
  
  
After he left, Kento made one of his more intelligent remarks, "I wonder what's eating him? He's been pretty quiet since he and Rowen got home."  
  
  
  
Cye rolled his eyes. "When are you NOT thinking about food?"  
  
  
  
"Hey! I'm serious. And a little hungry." With that, he got up for a bag of chips.  
  
  
  
Ryo, watching TV with White Blaze and Mia, did not brush aside his remark the same way Cye did. 'He's got a point.' Looking for Rowen, he found him with a book on the love seat. "Hey, Ro, did anything happen before you guys left school? I mean, yeah, Sage's always quiet, but he seems a little off."  
  
  
  
The blue-haired youth thought for a moment. Normally, he'd fess up, but Sage had told him not to say anything until he had a little more evidence to go on other than a hunch. "No sense in getting everyone worked up ahead of time," he had agreed earlier.  
  
  
  
"Nah; he's just a bit on the tired side." Well, it wasn't a lie (Rowen, seeing his friend's eyes slide closed more than once, ended up driving most of the way back), but at least he didn't betray Sage.  
  
  
  
Fortunately, Ryo bought it. "What DOES he do at night, anyway? I always find some kind of wax on the floor, and his room usually smells like incense."  
  
  
  
Sage had told him a thing or two about this as well. "Um...can't imagine," he laughed nervously. "Unless the girls manage to jump down a few stories in the dark without killing themselves!"  
  
  
  
Mia, who happened to catch the last part of that statement, threw a pillow at him. "Don't say that! He can't even remember how to TALK around girls most of the time!"  
  
  
  
Ryo, laughing next to her, had to add in his two cents. "Actually, if Rowen's theory is correct, I don't think anyone needs to talk, since actions speak louder than wor--"  
  
SLAP! Everyone within a two-mile radius of the house had to have heard THAT one.  
  
  
  
"Ow, damn!"   
  
  
  
Rowen just sat there and laughed at his leader's bad luck. At the end of his statement, he had tried to put his arm around Mia, which was a very bad move at the moment, especially in context of what he was saying.  
  
  
  
"Why the hell does every guy try to pick me up?!" the angry redhead stomped off.  
  
  
  
"Bakka," Rowen commented, "I guess you didn't hear about her day at work: she had to fill-in for a class, and she found it a bit hard to teach with a bunch of students hitting on her every so often!"  
  
  
  
Gingerly touching his face (which had a rather angry-looking hand print covering the side), he glared at Rowen. "And you neglected to tell me this why?"  
  
  
  
"Don't ask, don't tell." He got up and ran before Ryo could come after him, which he was about to. Instead, though, he just sat back on the couch and poked his stinging cheek. "Chiku, chiku, chiku..."  
  
^^^***^^^ ^^^***^^^ ^^^***^^^ ^^^***^^^   
  
Rekka had stopped by a party store to pick up some water balloons. He figured he's swing by a residential area to fill them up, then go to the lake and bomb a few people.  
  
He was halfway to the residential area when his stomach started growling.  
  
He also happened to be on a sidewalk full of people, which didn't help him in the least. Or did it?   
  
Seeing that it had been a month since the last time he had REALLY eaten anything, he thought so.  
  
Since there were so many people crammed in one area that you'd get trampled if you stopped walking even for a second, Rekka just turned to the person beside him--which happened to be that cute redhead in his first bell.  
  
"Ari? Fancy meeting YOU here!"  
  
"Huh?" she turned her head. "Rekka?! I didn't even SEE you! What's up?"  
  
"Nothing much."  
  
"Hey, I was heading over to this really cool restaurant to grab a bite. Wanna come?"  
  
'Too easy.' "Why not, I'm pretty hungry myself. In fact...I even know a short cut."  
  
^^^***^^^ ^^^***^^^ ^^^***^^^ ^^^***^^^   
  
Sage was pretty put out with himself. He had just wanted to spend some time in the woods near the lake, since it was one of his favorite think spots. Thinking he'd enjoy the walk, too, he had decided to take the long way through the city.  
  
And ended up on a sidewalk packed with people.   
  
'Too much noise' he held his head, beginning to feel dizzy from all the minds around him. 'Why can't people keep their thoughts to themselves?'  
  
'Too easy.'  
  
'Hardly.' Sage snapped to attention. Where had THAT stray thought come from? It was almost as if no one was supposed to hear it, since it was so soft, yet there was a peculiar echo to it. In fact, it was almost as if...'Nah. If there were any non-humans in the area, I would have--'  
  
His self-assuring speech was cut short when he turned his head just in time to see Rekka and Ari make a detour into an alley.  
  
"...sensed them by now." Sage stopped dead in his tracks. "Wha--"  
  
Poor guy was cut short again. Because he had suddenly stopped dead in his tracks, he ended up getting mowed over by the five o'clock going-home-from-work traffic just as promptly.  
  
  
  
******~~~~~~~~*********~~~~~~~~~~************~~~~~~~~~~**********~~~~~~~******Hey, I wonder if anyone recognizes Ryo's little quote from earlier? Assuming I spelled it right, it's from Escaflowne--the episode where everyone's favorite pyromaniac is playing with his face. You know, I thought he was calling Van a prick at first, since I had just seen the one screen shot with the translation. Turns out, he was just talking about the way his face felt when he bothered it. I still kinda feel sorry for the Slayer who told him to quit playing with the cut (who was it? Chesta? I can't remember ^^;;;) 


	6. Just Can't Wait 'till Dinner

Disclaimer...eh, why bother--it should be pretty obvious by now. if it's a name that everyone's heard of, it more than likely ain't mine. i didn't even DO one for the last installment, lol.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Sage managed to pick himself off the sidewalk with the aid of a lamp post, his whole body aching like hell.  
  
"Why do women have to wear heels?" he moaned. He was quite sure that he had at least sixteen holes on various parts of his anatomy that were NOT supposed to be there.  
  
Trying not to whine about the pain for the sake of his dignity, he thanked the gods for hair spray, mousse, gel, and whatever else kept that do in place while looking for the alley that Rekka and Ari had disappeared into.  
  
Wasn't too tough. All he had to do was track the source of a sudden flash of youki energy.  
  
^^^***^^^ ^^^***^^^ ^^^***^^^ ^^^***^^^   
  
Rekka swore. His thirst had caused him to get a little careless when casting the waking sleep spell (I can't think of a name for it, lol). Instead of gradually causing her to zone out, he had let too much of his power out at one time, causing a brief energy flux and putting her to "sleep" in a matter of seconds.  
  
Oh well. The results were the same: Ari, now in staring straight ahead zombie mode, had no idea what was about to happen.  
  
Just to be sure, though, Rekka decided to throw in an illusion that made it seem as if no one was in the alley. That way, he could take his time.  
  
^^^***^^^ ^^^***^^^ ^^^***^^^ ^^^***^^^   
  
Sage reached the spot right after Rekka cast the second spell. He could see no one in the alley, though he could definitely feel someone--or something. He also could not sense Ari's life force very well, but what was there seemed to be...fading?  
  
Though he didn't want to waste a minute, Sage closed his eyes and took a deep breath, tapping into his own power.   
  
When he opened them, he could see clearly through the illusion and, well, his thoughts can be summed up in one phrase.  
  
"Oh, shit!"  
  
^^^***^^^ ^^^***^^^ ^^^***^^^ ^^^***^^^   
  
After casting the illusion, the vampire immediately started feeding. He had decided a while ago not to drain his victim, since he didn't want what he had for dinner on the ten o'clock news. He also decided not to bite TOO hard so the scar would not be very noticeable.  
  
'A small nick should do it...' Rekka opened a vein in her neck, though by no means a major artery. That would have made a terrible mess.  
  
Her blood flowed out a little faster than he had expected. Which was fine with him; Rekka hadn't even realized how hungry he was until he the first drops touched his lips. After that, he drank greedily, not really bothering to taste it.   
  
After a few minutes, he forced himself to leave off. He had taken less than half of her blood, though she would still be considerably weak when she woke up. Kissing her neck lightly, he touched the spot where he had punctured it.  
  
"You had decided to go jogging before you ate, and you did not have very much for lunch," he spoke softly in her ear, resting his chin on her shoulder. "You can't be sure, but you think you blacked out for a while after becoming dizzy."  
  
He then spoke a single word in an unknown language; Ari, who had been standing upright the whole time, suddenly closed her eyes and passed out for real. Rekka easily caught her.   
  
A sharp intake of breath diverted his attention to the entrance of the alley.   
  
'What's this...' he narrowed his eyes. Not letting go of Ari, he sniffed the air. And promptly growled in frustration. "Dammit! How did I let myself get so careless over a meal?"  
  
"Oh, well," he sighed, looking down at the sleeping redhead. There was a smear of blood left on her neck, but nothing more to show what had occurred. He casually licked it off. "I'll deal with you later, Sage."  
  
^^^***^^^ ^^^***^^^ ^^^***^^^ ^^^***^^^   
  
Sage, obviously, had witnessed the entire incident. As much as he had wanted to look away, he had been absolutely entranced. Upon seeing his classmate suddenly drop, he had gasped involuntarily, thinking that she was dead.  
  
Realizing his error, he immediately backed off, hiding behind the wall of the building and trying not to make any more noise. When he was positive that Rekka was not planning on coming after him for a quick dessert, Sage hauled ass out of there. He didn't stop running until he was almost back at Mia's house, and even when his legs stopped moving and he was out of breath, his mind continued to whirl.  
  
"Rekka..." he gasped, supporting himself on a nearby tree, "what the hell are you, some kind of vampire?" 'But...that would be impossible. He can walk around in broad daylight, and he was playing with the matches in chemistry!'  
  
If he was actually something from the Dynasty, then they could deal with it. If he really WAS a vampire, then they were in a shitload of trouble.  
  
*********~~~~~~~~************~~~~~~~~~***********~~~~~~~~~************~~~~~~~~ 


	7. Fair Play? Hardly

Andros watched his mate from the roof of the porch as he returned home. From his perch, he could smell blood on his breath.  
  
"I see you went out for dinner," he shouted down.  
  
Rekka stopped walking. "That wasn't my intention; I just got hungry on the way."  
  
"Is that so? I hope you were careful, Rekka."  
  
He clenched his fists. "Not as much as I would have liked to be."  
  
Andros made a disapproving noise. "Stray tourist?"  
  
"Sage Date."  
  
"What?" The other got up and jumped down beside the scowling youth. "How did--?"  
  
"He's not normal, Andros. He somehow saw through my illusion."  
  
He spent a moment in silent thought. "You are absolutely positive?"  
  
"I smelled his fear. He must have seen me for at least a second."  
  
"Dammit. I KNEW there was something off about that one and his crowd!"  
  
Rekka blinked at his friend's sudden vehemence. "What?"  
  
"You cannot...oh, forget it." Andros waved a hand, sliding his arm around Rekka, who surprisingly, did not push him away. Taking note of this ('he NEVER lets anyone get close when he's frustrated!'), he said out loud, "Let's go back in; Mia called and said they'd be a bit late. The others, however, have already arrived."  
  
"And you left Dais in the same room--alone--with them." Rekka commented after a moment, shaking his head and smiling. "Someone's gonna catch hell before this night's through."  
  
Andros tightened his hold, pulling Rekka even closer. "Just leave everything to me. And TRY not to make a scene with the blonde, k?"  
  
"No se doy nadas promesas," was the dark response.  
  
^^^***^^^ ^^^***^^^ ^^^***^^^ ^^^***^^^   
  
Around this time, Sage himself had just walked in the door. Or fell in, whatever.  
  
"Sage!" a decently irked Mia stormed in as soon as she heard the door open. "Where the..." she trailed off upon seeing his condition. "What happened? You look as if you took on the entire Dynasty by yourself!"  
  
He staggered over to the couch and flopped down unceremoniously. "I wish. Mia, what do you have on vampires?"  
  
She stared at him sideways. "A few things, I suppose," was the slow response. "Care to tell me what's up?"  
  
Ryo, Cye, and Kento decided to pile into the room from the kitchen. They stopped dead in their tracks as soon as they saw Sage.   
  
Still sulking a little from earlier, Ryo asked, "Your fan club get the best of you?"  
  
Sage raised his head. "If my personality wasn't so placid, I'd tell you to piss off."  
  
"Well, then, it's a good thing that it is," Cye muttered, earning an elbow from a still concerned Mia.  
  
"Um, Sage...who have you been fighting?"  
  
"No one, Kento."  
  
"Then why are there HOLES in your shirt?"  
  
"Kento--"  
  
  
  
"I mean," Hardrock continued over his protest, "it looks as if you've been strapped underneath someone's racecar and they drove around Japan a few times--"  
  
"KENTO!"  
  
"Fine, sheesh!"  
  
"Seriously, though, ARE you all right?" Cye asked. "If not, we can just stay home--"  
  
"No," Sage answered a little too quickly. "I mean, I don't want you guys to miss out because of me. Where's Rowen?"  
  
Mia sighed. "Asleep."  
  
Cye walked over to the sofa. "Either way, Sage, you need a once-over. Let's go get you cleaned up while Ryo wakes up Rowen."  
  
As Cye led Sage upstairs, Ryo scowled. "Why do I have to go wake up Sleeping Beauty?"  
  
"Because it's your turn and I don't feel like it," Mia ran a hand through her hair. "And Kento and I have to finish getting ready."  
  
"But it's NOT my turn; it's Sage's!"  
  
Kento gave Mia a break, "Sage is a little roughed up at the moment."  
  
"It will take him half as much time--"  
  
"Ryo," Mia said a little too patiently, "NO ONE wakes up Rowen without an effort, so stop bitching and go get started."  
  
Kento laughed at his leader's scandalized expression, "Yeah, she has a point; that's why we call him Sleeping Beauty, behind his back, anyway."  
  
"And here I was thinking it was because Sage always kissed him to get him to wake up," Ryo said under his breath, making as much noise as possible going up the stairs. That way, in the fat chance that his stomping DID wake Rowen up, Ryo wouldn't have to.   
  
^^^***^^^ ^^^***^^^ ^^^***^^^ ^^^***^^^   
  
Rekka headed immediately towards the staircase as soon as he got in. He did manage to say "hi" to the other three guys and the chick sitting with them in the living room.  
  
"Where's Dais?"  
  
"Don't know, don't care, don't care to know," Kale answered offhand.  
  
'I guess that's him I sense sleeping, then.' "I would love to stay and chat, but I have to do something really fast."  
  
"We'll get to know each other over dinner, then," Kayura called after him as he ran upstairs.  
  
"Wonder what he's in a rush for?" the moody Warlord of Darkness muttered, "and what does he want THAT loser for?"  
  
Anubis shrugged. "Beats me. I wonder who else Andros is waiting for?"  
  
Sekhmet shifted on the floor. "Well, it'd be nice if they would hurry it up; I'm starving."  
  
"It's a buffet, Sekhmet, you'll be ok," Andros walked in; leaning on the of the couch, he added, "and the others will be here shortly."  
  
^^^***^^^ ^^^***^^^ ^^^***^^^ ^^^***^^^   
  
Dais, being the semi-light sleeper he was, woke up upon hearing his door open. He sensed no ill will coming from whoever it was--well, none towards HIM, anyway.  
  
"You can't bloody knock, demon?" he groaned. "Which one are you, anyway?"  
  
Rekka practically pounced on him. "Guess."  
  
Dais wasn't too happy about this. "You must be the hyperactive one. Andros knows what I do when someone jumps on me when I'm trying to sleep." To prove his point, he threw the covers off of him with sudden, unexpected ferocity. Since Rekka happened to be on them at the moment, he ended up sailing across the room and hitting the wall.  
  
THUMP!!   
  
"...Ouch." was all the vampire could come up with. "Since when did you get THAT strong?"  
  
"Andros didn't tell you anything about me?"  
  
"Well...no. Just that you two have known each other for a very long time and that you have a bit of a 'side job' involving 'military service'," Rekka put quotes around "side job" and "military service". He got up. "Care to elaborate?"  
  
"Not particularly," Dais sighed, running a hand through his wavy hair. "Why are you in here, anyway? I told Andros I was going to bed early."  
  
Rekka regarded him curiously. "That would explain why your current outfit consists of boxers, eye patch, and a scowl."  
  
"I'm scowling because I want to go back to bed."  
  
"Um...no. I need you for something."  
  
Dais suddenly felt very uncomfortable. "For..."   
  
Rekka started, "Oh, no; not for THAT. I've already eaten."  
  
Visibly relaxed, the other asked, "Then what is it?"  
  
With a smug grin, he pulled out a bag full of unfilled water balloons and threw them on Dais' bed. "I didn't get to use them earlier, and something tells me you're a pretty good shot."  
  
"Vendetta?"  
  
"Not quite. You in?"  
  
Grabbing a handful, he asked how much time they had.   
  
"Not very, I'm afraid," Rekka responded, taking some into the bathroom. "I think we have ten or so minutes before they pull up."  
  
Dais began filling up his own balloons with the shower head (he took off the head and used the hose). Then he turned off the water. "Does Andros know what you're up to?"  
  
He was answered with a low and slightly sinister chuckle. "Just keep 'em coming, Dais."  
  
^^^***^^^ ^^^***^^^ ^^^***^^^ ^^^***^^^   
  
Some time later--but not too much--Dais and Rekka ran downstairs in Army camouflage and face paint, complete with binoculars, walkie-talkies, and two matching duffle bags full of loaded water balloons. Ignoring the questioning glanced of everyone in the living room (and Andros' death glare aimed at Rekka, who simply smiled and saluted), the headed straight outside and into the designated areas.   
  
::from inside the house::  
  
"What in the nine hells does he think he's doing?" Andros asked in a dark, yet undeniably curious tone.  
  
"I don't know," Anubis got up and headed in the same direction, "but any time Dais goes ANYWHERE that fast with a duffle bag--"  
  
"Or a briefcase," Kale added knowingly.  
  
"--a Kodak Moment is soon to follow."  
  
The rest of the group looked at each other. In a matter of seconds, there was a decent-sized crowd of people on the porch. Though none knew what to expect, all eyes were turned towards the red Jeep pulling up the long driveway.  
  
::from the trees over the driveway::  
  
*This is Sneaky Bastard calling Deranged Pirate, do you copy?*  
  
Dais flipped the switch on his walkie-talkie. *Derranged Pirate to Sneaky Bastard, I copy that*  
  
*Have you sighted the target; over*  
  
*Yes indeed; over* Dais had sighted them, all right. He'd know that old Jeep anywhere.  
  
*And may I also add that all of them have their windows open, along with the sunroof; over*  
  
"Kick ass."  
  
*What's that?*  
  
*Derranged Pirate to Sneaky Bastard: when do we commence firing; over*  
  
*Sneaky Bastard to Deranged Pirate: as soon as you can get a clear shot, fire at will. Good luck, soldier*  
  
Dais only wished that working for Talpa was this much fun.   
  
*********~~~~~~~~************~~~~~~~~~***********~~~~~~~~~************~~~~~~~~  
  
i know i'm bad for leaving everyone hanging like this, but i can't help myself! R&R, please; if not to comment, then at least let me know that someone's reading this, lol. oh, and in case anyone wants to know, i don't own Kodak. 


	8. Some People You Really CAN'T Take Anywhe...

::ch. 8-some people you really CAN'T take anywhere::  
  
Disclaimer: same as usual, lol.  
  
However, i would like to dedicate this chapter to anyone who has been thoroughly embarrassed resulting from the antics of friends and/or family at a public dining facility. Or thoroughly pranked, as the beginning of this shows. Hopefully, this doesn't bring back TOO many memories ^_^  
  
DarkFlame136  
  
ps: PLEASE do not try any of these stunts at home, and remember to always buckle up and drive carefully. I also want to apologize ahead of time to any police officers ahead of time, and post a disclaimer for Grand Theft Auto (one of the best games out there!), though i think i made up some of the stats; i can't quite remember what's on the screen. And, if no one has guessed by now, I don't own the Saturn car company. also, i made some corrections to this chapter and the one after. hopefully i caught all the errors, especially the timing ones.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
~*~Part One: Driving Hazards~*~  
  
Mia, Ryo, and Kento were piled in the Jeep while Cye had hopped in with Rowen and Sage. By the time Rowen woke up, everyone except him and Ryo were dressed and ready. Fortunately, all they had to do was change, though Rowen had decided to shower first.  
  
Either way, since both drivers had more or less decided that the speed limit was actually the minimum, they weren't over a half hour late.  
  
::in Mia's Jeep::  
  
"Do any of you know which restaurant we're going to?" Kento asked from the back seat for the lost-count-after-tenth time.  
  
"No, Kento, we don't." Ryo sighed. "Mia, could you PLEASE floor it? We're on his property, for crying out loud, not a residential area!"  
  
"Ryo, he could have a younger sibling or something--what if a kid's around here playing? I doubt that I would be able to stop before running him over!"  
  
"So?"  
  
SPLAT!!!!  
  
"WHAT THE HELL?!?"  
  
Something had hit the windshield at a high speed and splattered, covering the glass with liquid. Mia, in shock, had swerved slightly off the path, throwing Kento against the other side of the car and Ryo towards Mia.   
  
Then, the latter had braked. Hard.   
  
"OW, FUCK!" Ryo's head had hit the dashboard.  
  
"Whiplash," Kento groaned from the back.  
  
"Sorry, guys," the driver, somehow, was unharmed. "What WAS that?"  
  
"Hell if I know."  
  
Kento shuddered. "Hey, Ryo, what if that was one of those big-ass bugs that are in the movies?"  
  
All three of them stared at the giant splatter on the windshield. "Eewww!!!"  
  
Mia turned on the windshield wipers. "Let's get out of here before anything else happens. Unless you guys want to take a look around--"  
  
"NO!"  
  
Satisfied with that answer (though she expected nothing less), she pulled back on to the road. Andros' mansion was soon in sight.  
  
"Oh, wow! It's even better than--"  
  
(through Ryo's window) SPLAT!!! "Dammit!"  
  
(through both of the back windows) SPLAT!! KERSPAT!!! "HEY!!!"  
  
Through all this, Mia rolled up her own window (just in time, too: SPLAT!) and kept driving. Right over the trip wire Dais and Rekka had rigged up before hiding in the trees.  
  
**twang**  
  
Ryo heard the subtle noise. Already wet and pissed off, he shouted, "Ok, now what the hell was THAT supposed to be?"  
  
He soon found out.  
  
(through the sunroof) **squeek** ~~SPLASH!!!~~  
  
Mia braked even harder than before, sending her two now-soaking-wet passengers sailing forward; no one went through the windshield, though: Kento's flight path was stopped by the back of Mia's seat, and Ryo, well, he got to kiss the dashboard again.  
  
"When I find out who is responsible for this," Mia started in a low voice that was just barely heard over the moans of pain and discomfort. Suddenly, she began shouting, "I'M GOING TO RIP OF THEIR HEADS!!!"  
  
**BEEP, BEEP!!!!**  
  
"YOU HEAR ME, YOU SONS OF BITCHES!!!"  
  
This outburst was followed by an insane amount of horn-honking.  
  
**BEEP, BEEP BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEPPPPPPPPPP!!!!!!!!!!!**  
  
::from the trees::  
  
*Rekka, I thought that the bucket was for the other car?*  
  
From the opposite tree, Rekka made a sound of indifference. *Tsh, who cares? I sure didn't think THEY had a sunroof, too*  
  
*So it worked, then?*  
  
*Oh, yes. Take a look for yourself*  
  
Using the binoculars, he did just that. He had looked just in time to see the redhead chick begin to vent her rage. He could see her lips moving, but could not make out what she said. The shouting was slightly incoherent as well, though her car horn sure wasn't.  
  
**BEEP, BEEP!!!!**  
  
"What the hell is she doing?" he started laughing. The person sitting next to her ('looks like a wet Wildfire' he guessed) said something; 'must have been pretty bad, since she started aiming her death threats and her fists at him instead of some invisible foe.  
  
Rekka's laughter could be heard from the other tree. *Oh, man **hahaha!!** this is priceless!*  
  
*Shouldn't we be getting ready for the other car?* Dais radioed back. *It can't possibly be that far off.*  
  
He thought for a moment. *And they probably heard the honking, too* With an insane giggle, he told Dais to ready the ammo and move out.   
  
::in Halo's Saturn, a few minutes before the attack on Red Jeep (I know, bad attempt at humor O.o;;)::  
  
Green Car was a little farther behind than planned, especially since Rowen had tried flirting with the cop who was writing his buddy up for speeding. So, to prevent anything else from happening, they had decided to let Cye drive.  
  
Fifty-five. Sixty. Sixty-five. Seventy-five.  
  
"Um, Cye..." Sage hazarded, "I don't think they will leave without us, so you can slow down a bit."  
  
Eighty.  
  
"I don't like being late for ANYTHING, never mind a whole half hour off."  
  
Sage turned nervously to Rowen, who was still muttering about that female cop who wrote HIM up for harassing an officer. "Rowen, say something before we're dead!"  
  
"Like what?"  
  
"Like how it's unsafe to be going eighty in a fifty-five zone!"  
  
"Eighty-five," Cye calmly corrected. Not even bothering to signal, Cye changed three lanes over to the other side of the road.   
  
Sage was starting to lose his cool. "You don't even signal, man!"   
  
Apparently, those two people he had cutoff had the same opinion.   
  
**HONK, HONK!!** **BEEEEEPPPPP!!**  
  
Rowen stuck his body out of the window and shouted back, "FUCK YOU, TOO!"  
  
**WOO, WOO!!**  
  
"SHIT!" Rowen promptly climbed back into the car. "Cye, floor it!"  
  
"What?" Sage looked back. "Dammit, isn't that the same cop that got me the first time?"  
  
"Are you serious?" Cye looked back, too.  
  
"WATCH THE ROAD!!" Rowen grabbed the steering wheel when the car started speeding out of the lane. By some miracle, it jerked back into the center of the lane without any issues. Besides the cop on their asses, that is.  
  
"Sorry, Sorry!"  
  
Upon hearing the sirens, all of the other cars on the highway had got the hell OUT of the way, and not a moment too soon. This was turning into one of those high-speed car chases that are featured on the TV specials at ten. And, as fate would have it, Chopper 7 happened to be covering traffic at the moment.  
  
::at Andros' mansion::  
  
Andros, not really wanting to know what those crackheads were up to (he was sure to find out, anyway, one way or another), he went back inside to watch some TV. He flipped through the channels.  
  
'Daytime talk shows. Hmm...'  
  
Sure enough, just as this one broad was about to whack her cheating boyfriend who was really a woman with a chair, the show was interrupted.  
  
*We interrupt your regularly scheduled program for a special news bullitin*  
  
"As usual. Wonder who escaped this time?"  
  
  
  
*Good afternoon; Linda* Andros had talked over the first part of the news cast. *This is Sonja Hiru reporting live from Highway 18. We are near the scene of a high-speed police chase, which Chopper 7 happened to witness while covering traffic.*  
  
*From what we have heard,* the reporter continued, *this madman has been flying down the road for quite some time now. Earlier, I had interviewed some of the drivers that were on the road at the time. Unfortunately, we cannot play any of these clips due to the use of language.*  
  
*However, we can turn it over for some live footage. Chopper 7, are you on?*  
  
*That we are* a male voice yelled over the noise of the craft. The cameras were focused on the cop car, with its sirens ablaze, going after a...GREEN SATURN?   
  
::in Sage's car::  
  
Trying to shake off the police chick, Cye had just pulled off the second consecutive 180 degree turn, except this time, it ended up a 360. Luckily for him, the cop thought that he was going to do another 180, so she ended up speeding off in the wrong direction.  
  
"Not quite as I planned," Cye admitted, "but at least we shook her for now."  
  
"Then let's just go. I think we can just take the next exit, since he said to go for it if we miss the first one," Rowen said.  
  
Sage, though, was turning as green as his armor. He couldn't take roller coasters too well sometimes, so he wasn't doing too good with Cye's two-wheel turns and the like.  
  
"Um, guys..." he trailed off.  
  
"Now what?" Rowen turned around. "Woah! Cye!"  
  
"What?"  
  
"CYE!"  
  
"WHAT?!"  
  
"Sage's gonna spew!"  
  
"Say WHAT?" he didn't dare look over his shoulder to verify it. Not at over 80 mph and a cop on his ass. "Are you sure?"  
  
His response was a nauseated moan from the back seat. "Ok...just, like, roll down the window. I don't think there's any bags in here."  
  
Not wanting to mess up his own car, Sage rolled down the window, prayed to whatever God there was for mercy (whether he was more worried about getting out of this mess alive or the outside of his car is anyone's guess), and let her rip.  
  
Around this time, the requested police backup was on the scene and joining in the chase.  
  
::Andros' living room::  
  
Feeling ever so slightly sorry for the Ronins, Anubis and Kayura had gone in to go get some towels (though not without a few more laughs). Now, everyone else, Rekka and Dais included, was in the living room watching reality TV at its finest.  
  
"I'd just kill to know who's driving," Kale laughed.  
  
"I know what you mean," Ryo agreed, "Who'd of thought you could get that bitch on two wheels!"  
  
"RYO!!" Mia smacked him upside the head. "How can you say something like that?"  
  
"Actually, I think he has a point," Rekka jumped in. "Hey, Andros, do you have any blank tapes?"  
  
"Way ahead of you," he pointed to the VCR. "I threw it in as soon as I recognized the car."  
  
"But...that could have been any car," Kento pointed out.   
  
Andros shook his head. "Not unless more than one green Saturn has the same license plates. And besides," he looked hard at Kento, "you all seem to agree that your friends are inside."  
  
"Well--"  
  
"Um..."  
  
"Yeah." Andros finished.  
  
"Hey, look, it's a police cam," Rekka diverted everyone's attention back to the television.   
  
Indeed it was a police cammie, from the inside of the cop car behind the fugitives.   
  
"You can barely hear what's being said over the sirens," Mia commented.  
  
Anubis waved a hand. "I don't think ANYONE really understands what the person on the radio's saying. Too much static or whatever."  
  
Sekhmet leaned closer to the screen. "What in the world...?"  
  
"Hey, Down in Front!" Kale complained.  
  
"But...I think I see someone's head sticking out of the car--"  
  
"Really?" Kale leaned in closer, too. Everyone else followed suit except the vampires. They figured that they'd just watch the shoot-out on tape later rather than get squished against the TV. Besides, rumor has it that sitting too close will make you go blind...and then, you'll have to wear these ten-inch thick glasses with the diameter of a coffee mug! MUHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!  
  
*Ahem* sorry about that; couldn't help it!!! ;D  
  
Anyway, Rekka and Andros were sitting back watching everybody else watching TV. Ok, fine, they were making out, too, since no one else was paying attention to them.  
  
"Hey, that kinda looks like Sage!"  
  
"I think he's right," Kale affirmed, "there's only one person with hair like that!"  
  
"What's he gonna do, though, start shooting?" Kayura asked curiously.  
  
Dais laughed, "Oh, yeah, THAT would be the day!"  
  
Ryo was curious himself about what his normally peaceful friend would do. Then he made a face.   
  
Sekhmet noticed the same thing at the same time. "What's that shit flying ba--"  
  
The answer to his question came before he finished. All of a sudden, the contents of Sage's stomach were filmed by the police camera inside the car.  
  
"WHAT THE HELL?" the cop was just as surprised as Mia was when his windshield was splattered, with one major difference, of course, besides the fact that he couldn't see out of it at all.  
  
"UGH!!!!" the entire crowd jumped back from the TV as soon as Sage's lunch hit the front of the car.  
  
"THAT'S FUCKIN NASTY!!!" Kento yelled while the cop swerved off the road.  
  
Kale, though, was having a blast. "That's one serious Technicolor Yawn!"  
  
Mia herself was feeling sick. "I don't see how you can laugh at something like that, Kale."  
  
"I do!" Ryo was doubled over on the floor.  
  
Rekka and Andros had taken a break when they heard the shouting. "What's going on?"  
  
  
  
"Did Sage use an elephant gun?"  
  
They stared at Rekka in silence. "What? That makes a big mess, right?"  
  
Dais rolled his eye. "No, Rekka, Sage used biological warfare."  
  
"He has an Anthrax bomb?"  
  
"No, dumbass, he puked out the window and it landed on the squad car," Andros explained. "If you were listening, then you would have head the guy radio in what happened."  
  
"If that wasn't so funny," Rekka said with a straight face, "I'd be angry with you for not paying more attention to me."  
  
"Hey, I just caught it, all right? And it was AFTER we stopped."  
  
"Stopped what?" Kento asked.  
  
Dais normally loved seeing people squirm, but he decided to cut them a break. "Betting on who's driving. I'm putting down twenty on Torrent."  
  
"No way!" Kale disagreed. "He's too much of a pacifist. My bet's on Strata."  
  
Andros raised an eyebrow. "Anyone else?"  
  
"Strata."  
  
"Torrent. Anubis, the quiet ones are always hiding something," Kayura explained.  
  
"Everyone's got twenty, then?"  
  
"Rekka, that's harsh."  
  
He eyed Mia. "What will you throw in, then?"  
  
"Fifty, on Cye."  
  
"Hmm, we have a high-roller," Andros approved.   
  
"MIA!" Kento was shocked.  
  
"What? She never told you about her casino addiction?" Ryo shrugged. "I think I'll put thirty on Rowen. Have you seen how they DRIVE in New York?"  
  
::Back in the car::  
  
Sage was truly gratified when Rowen said they should be there in a few minutes. "I recognize some of the landmarks Andros mentioned, and I think I've been in this area. It's really nice."  
  
"That's great," Sage rasped. "I can't wait until I get out of this car!"  
  
As fate would have it, though, the road ahead was police-barricaded.  
  
"Dammit!"  
  
"How are we supposed to get through?" Rowen sighed.  
  
"Hold on, I saw this once on Grand Theft Auto!"  
  
'Shit, what's he gonna do NOW?' Sage vowed NEVER to let him drive again, assuming they even made it in one piece.  
  
As Cye approached the police-barricade, he increased his speed another 15 mph. Seeing that the speedometer was two away from 100, even Rowen was starting to wish he brought a second pair of pants along.  
  
"What hell are you trying to PULL?!?!"  
  
Cye only replied, "Tighten your seatbelts and hold on!"  
  
That's all they COULD do. And pray like the end of the world was approaching almost as fast as the police barricade.  
  
The officers were scattering by now, and the drivers of the four squad cars were in a panic.  
  
"WHAT'S HE DOING?"  
  
"HE'S GONNA HIT US!"  
  
"I KNEW I SHOULD HAVE STAYED ON AS A CROSSING GUARD!"  
  
"WAIT! I NEED TO FINISH MY DONUT!"  
  
At the very last minute, Cye wheeled the car so the driver's side was in front as opposed to the front bumper. Then, with a metallic CRASH!!! the car flipped up and over the front end of one of the police cruisers.  
  
"OH MY GOOOOODDDDDDD!!!!!!!!" Rowen screamed at the top of his lungs (Sage had passed out, along with the policeman inside the other car).  
  
"YAAAAHHHHHOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Cye shouted in exhilaration as the car spun in the air.  
  
As soon as the car landed on the road UPRIGHT ON ALL FOUR WHEELS with a jolt, Cye floored it once again.  
  
OBSTACLE CLEARED 512ft. 7in.  
  
ROTATION: 360 #OF ROTATIONS: 5 INSANE STUNT BONUS: $1075  
  
::Andros' livingroom::  
  
Sekhmet whistled in appreciation as he checked the stats on the bottom of the screen. "That's some serious hang-time!"  
  
"I have a new respect for the Ronin who's driving that car," Anubis acknowledged, "especially since he landed it!"  
  
"I'd still like to know how a bunch of mortals could have survived that," Andros shook his head.   
  
"Skills," Kayura shrugged.  
  
"Hardly," Rekka snickered. "Does anyone have any idea where there at?"  
  
Kento shifted. "Now that you mentioned it...Hey! they're on the--"  
  
"--other side of town," Mia finished. "Oh, dear."  
  
Rekka just laughed, with Lady Kayura and the other warlords joining in. Andros sighed, took his car keys out of his pocket, and headed out the door.   
  
::somewhere on the other side of town::  
  
Five minutes ago, Cye had pulled up to the gates of a rather large house. A rather large, old, empty house.  
  
"Ro...I thought you said his house was modern in style?"  
  
Rowen had barely succeeded in rousing Sage, who still looked worse for ware. "It is."  
  
"Then where, may I ask, ARE we?"  
  
Sage got out of the car and glanced around. He immediately recognized the old mansion. "I guess vampires really DO prefer the old, broken down houses!"  
  
"What's that, buddy?"  
  
"Isn't this the house the contractors are going to tear down at the end of this month?"  
  
"Cye, I think your crazy-ass driving made him snap," Rowen laughed nervously.  
  
"No, he's right," Cye got out as well. "I read about it the other day. But..."  
  
"That house is on the other side of town." Sage glared at Rowen, who was outside by now. "Rowen, are you sure you had the right directions?"  
  
"Well," he slowly began backing up, "I do think we took a wrong turn somewhere. And...um..."  
  
Sage began advancing. "You held the map upside down, too, didn't you?"  
  
"Maybe?" he squeaked.  
  
Like demons from the blackest pits of Hell, both Sage and Cye sprang for the kill. 


	9. Some People you Really CAN'T Take Anywhe...

::ch. 8-some people you really CAN'T take anywhere::  
  
I just kinda realized that this story has no plot, and that i've made a few mistakes on timing in the last part with how far behind Sage was from Mia. I guess i can get away with that, though, for the time being. I'm still trying to figure out what to have Sage do about Rekka. Hmm...might just stick with the idea i had...eh, we'll see.   
  
This is gonna be a long-ass fick, though, if i do say so myself, and i can only guess where it's going.  
  
DarkFlame136  
  
PS: 'don't own Adult Swim, though i love the in-betweens. and Inu Yasha. "and Fujiko. Ah, Fujiko..." (hehe, i just had to quote that!)  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
~*~Part Two: When Getting There Actually IS Half the Battle~*~  
  
By default, Sage had to drive them all back because a.) there was no way in hell Sage was letting Cye even LOOK at the driver's seat, and b.) Rowen had gotten them lost the first time, and he was in too much pain from his much-deserved beating. They also made the latter call Andros and explain why they were going to be a bit off schedule--and get the right directions, while he was at it.   
  
^^^***^^^ ^^^***^^^ ^^^***^^^ ^^^***^^^   
  
Andros was about to start his own car when the phone rang. "Huh? Rowen? You're still alive?"   
  
The conversation was more of a one-sided run-down of how they ended up on the news. From the sound of it, they had lost Mia after they got pulled over for speeding, though how the hell Mia didn't remains a mystery. Andros gave them directions for a short cut.  
  
"Assuming you do not end up in Beijing (or prison, for that matter), you should arrive in about five minutes. We'll wait up for you either way." He hung up with a small smile. "So...THAT'S who was driving!'   
  
Out of both courtesy and curiosity to see how badly they were messed up (esp. Rowen, hehe), Andros decided to wait outside for them.  
  
^^^***^^^ ^^^***^^^ ^^^***^^^ ^^^***^^^   
  
While Andros was outside, all of the guys except Rekka were watching the tape he had made; Mia and Kayura were in the kitchen with Rekka having a cup of tea and talking about, well, whatever. Mainly what it's like to live with a bunch of guys.  
  
"I'm telling you, Mia, it's like constant biological warfare," Kayura sighed, "though Dais was pretty clean. For a guy, anyway."  
  
"You don't need to tell me twice," the redhead shuddered, "I think Cye's the cleanest out of my bunch. Sage isn't too bad, but he takes forever in the bathroom."  
  
"So does Anubis. Who knows why the hell he takes almost thirty minutes every day to--"  
  
Rekka, despite his best efforts, could not hold in the inevitable laugh.  
  
Kayura glared. "Mind out of the gutter, buddy: I was GOING to say that he takes that long to wash his hair every day!"  
  
"Sorry, but that was kind of suggestive," he kept laughing. "I'm going to see what took the other three so long."  
  
"Andros must have gone to get them, so you don't have to call."  
  
"Yeah; just wait until they get back," Kayura added.  
  
"No, he' sitting outside waiting for them." Noticing the looks on the girls' faces, he sighed. "Just trust me, all right? And I KNOW you want to find out who was at the wheel just as much as I do."  
  
"He's got a point," Mia led the way into the living room.   
  
^^^***^^^ ^^^***^^^ ^^^***^^^ ^^^***^^^   
  
When the others came through the door, all sound was suspended.   
  
"What's up with them?" Sage's lips barely moved.  
  
"You guys do look like hell," Andros quietly answered back.  
  
Cye decided to break the silence. "Um...sorry we're late. A bit of car trouble, you know."  
  
"My ass," someone said just loud enough to be heard, but not distinguished. A few knowing snickers followed.  
  
"Actually, we got lost, DIDN'T we, Rowen?" Sage growled, casting a withering glance to his left.  
  
"Ok, you know what, Sagie? Piss off!"  
  
"Fuck you--!"  
  
Andros moved between them. "Now, now, children. If you must fight, then take it outside; but no desert later!"  
  
"AWWW!!!!"  
  
Kale just laughed, "Such language!"  
  
"So sorry to corrupt your virgin ears, Kale. KALE?!?"  
  
"Fancy meeting you here, Halo!" he gave a mock bow from his seat.   
  
Rowen caught on. "What the hell? So then, you're all--"  
  
"Lady Kayura, though just Kayura for tonight, hon," she winked.  
  
"Always Lord Sekhmet to you."  
  
"Only in his dreams. Just call me Anubis. Or Master, whatever suits your fancy."  
  
"No comment to that," Dais moved over a good three inches, since he happened to be sitting by him.  
  
"What's that, Dais?"  
  
"Hm? Nothing; you're just hearing things."  
  
Sage spoke calmer than he felt. "Andros...this was all your idea, wasn't it?"  
  
He nodded. "Except the insane car chase. Which reminds me...I'll give you all the honor of revealing who was driving."  
  
Everyone leaned in close. Rowen and Sage immediately stepped back, leaving Cye in the spotlight which mysteriously turns on over his head.  
  
Cye blinked from the onslaught of bright light. "Ack! Hey! I didn't want to hold everyone up, and they wanted me to drive so we wouldn't get pulled over aga--"  
  
A sudden flash in front of Cye was followed by an "OW! Sage!"  
  
"What?" the blond was standing where he had been a few seconds before, with Andros and Rowen between him and Cye. "I didn't do anything!"  
  
"Besides get that first speeding ticket," Rowen put in.   
  
Sage stared at him coldly. Rowen swallowed and moved over more. "At least I didn't try hitting on the MARRIED cop who was MORE THAN twice my age who wasn't interested to begin with!"  
  
"Bitch!"  
  
"Skank!"  
  
"Damn," Kayura commented. Rekka burst out laughing.   
  
"That reminds ME," she continued. "Everyone who had money on Strata pay up!"  
  
"Shit!"  
  
"I was hoping she forgot!"  
  
"Man, I was planning on spending that!" Ryo complained, digging out his wallet as well. "Now I'm broke until next week!"  
  
"Tough luck, boys," Mia had a big smile on her face.   
  
"It's a three-way win. How are we going to split 70?"  
  
"I'll drop out," Dais offered, "that way it's 35 even."  
  
"Works for us!"   
  
"Such a gentleman," Mia gushed while taking her share.  
  
"Are we talking about the same guy here?" Kento spoke up. "I mean, he's only tried to kill me more times than I can count!"   
  
Rowen was about to make some smart-ass remark, but Kento held up a fist. "I don't know who kicked your ass the first time--"  
  
"Ahem," Sage coughed, crossing his arms and tapping his foot. Cye just smiled cheerfully and waved.  
  
Kento continued, "but I have NO problem with doing an encore!"  
  
"Well put, Hardrock."  
  
"Thank you, Dais."  
  
"It's nice to see that we're all getting along so well despite past events," Andros began, "and as much as I'd love to sit here and catch up with you all, my stomach has been protesting for quite some time."  
  
"Yeah, man, you speak my language," Kento cheered.  
  
"Hardly," Ryo sat back down on the couch. "I'm hungry, too. Where are we going, anyway?"  
  
Rekka tilted his head. "Looking like that? I'd say to go get fixed up. You look like a drowned rat!"  
  
Ryo narrowed his eyes dangerously, but his voice was as cool as ever. "And...the idea with the water balloons was...who's was it, again? I forgot, could someone remind me?"  
  
"First of all, it was Dais'."  
  
"You lying son of a bitch," the warlord shook his head.  
  
"Secondly, that bucket full of water was NOT meant for you three. Mia just happened to get here first," Rekka explained matter-of-factly.  
  
"What bucket of water?" Rowen asked suspiciously. "And why are Dais and Rekka dressed up like army guys?"  
  
Sage looked at Mia. "Mia, what happened before we got here?"  
  
"You're hair does look like it got thoroughly wet," Cye pointed out. "You, too, Ryo."  
  
Mia looked at Ryo. Ryo looked at Kento. Kento looked clueless.   
  
Then he gasped in remembrance. "Oh!"  
  
All three of them glared at Rekka and Dais, who both gave a sultry wink in their general direction.  
  
"No Comment," was the consensus.  
  
^^^***^^^ ^^^***^^^ ^^^***^^^ ^^^***^^^   
  
After a decent amount of whining, complaining, and outright bitching, the whole crew ended up at Mia's place so the disheveled half of the group could change...again.  
  
After some more whining, complaining, and outright bitching, they finally decided who was riding with who.  
  
"Why couldn't we all just go in the cars we came in?" Kayura complained.  
  
"Because...eh, hell if I know," Rowen gave up.   
  
The two of them, along with Rekka and Dais, were in Andros' convertible. Everyone else had more-or-less stuck with the same groups, though Sage was riding with Anubis and Cye ended up with Kale.  
  
"Where'd you get your license, anyway?" the former asked at a stoplight.  
  
Sekhmet laughed. "I think the better question is HOW, not where!"  
  
Cye blinked. "License? I just got my permit a few days ago!"  
  
Kale turned. "Say WHAT?"  
  
"I haven't taken Driver's Ed yet, either, since it doesn't start until next semester," he added, a bit embarrassed.  
  
"Really? Damn." Sekhmet said somewhere from the back seat. He had wanted to stretch out, so he made Cye ride shotgun.   
  
"I hope you have on a seat belt," Kale stared at him through the rearview mirror. "I'm not trying to get a fucking ticket."  
  
"Chill; it's good. You just worry about watching the light, which hasn't been red for some time now."  
  
As if on cue, someone behind them beeped their horn.   
  
"My bad," Kale sounded apologetic. He started forward normally, then abruptly braked, causing the person behind to do the same, but on shorter notice.   
  
"That was just low," Cye shook his head while the driver and Sekhmet laughed.  
  
BUMP!!  
  
Kale's smile quickly switched to a scowl. "Hey!" he looked back to see who had hit him.  
  
Dais, Rowen, and Kayura were in the back of the red convertible, slapping high-fives and practically cackling. Rekka had on headphones and was nodding his head, lip-synching and drumming to who knows what, completely oblivious to the world around him. Andros, on the other hand, was lounging over his steering wheel with a mask of boredom over his unearthly handsome face.   
  
"Are you going to go or are we going to sit here and stare at each other for the rest of the day? You're backing up traffic, you know."  
  
Kale sighed dramatically, rolling his eyes while tuning around and flipping him off before moving on.  
  
^^^***^^^ ^^^***^^^ ^^^***^^^ ^^^***^^^   
  
Anubis was the one who had suggested that Sage not take his own car.  
  
"Wouldn't want you incarcerated, now would we?"  
  
Sage had accepted his offer of a ride. 'Not that they could have caught the plates at the speed Cye was driving, anyway. But it was the same cop, though...damn!'  
  
Most of the ride was in silence. Not that they had anything to talk about, but still. More the reason he had opted not to go with anyone else, especially Rowen and Cye.   
  
"You've been sulking for the past ten minutes, Halo."  
  
"Huh? Oh, um...just...thinking." Sage turned indignant. "I am NOT sulking!"  
  
"Fine, brooding. Something's bothering you, though, and it has nothing to do with your car."  
  
"What makes you say that?" he tried keeping neutral. Could he talk to him? '"Snowball's chance in hell"' he quoted Adult Swim.  
  
Anubis glanced at him out of the corner of his eye before continuing. "Because Dais is the same way you are. To a point, of course." Then he frowned. A few cars ahead of them were Andros and Kale. "What the hell are they doing?"  
  
"Who knows?" Sage sighed, watching Andros casually rear-end Kale (rear-end his car, hentais, his CAR). "As long as its not MY wheels."  
  
"Tell me about it." To stay out of this particular mess, the redhead simply drove around them in the other lane.  
  
Halo blinked, once again off in his own little world. "What? What I'm thinking?"  
  
"That, too." When they drove by Andros' car, he noticed Sage's eye twitch. A subtle motion, but it was all he needed. "Sage...if this is about your new friends, then I suggest you NOT wait until dinner."  
  
"Yeah; Rekka already ate, so it's not like he'll be hungry. I mean, well...oh, damn it all to hell," Sage sighed yet again, this time with resignation. "Just promise you won't laugh."  
  
Anubis took a moment to glance his way. "Go on."  
  
He didn't begin right away. 'What's the best way I can put this?' "How long have you known them?"  
  
"I don't. Not really; I've heard of Andros through Dais, and Rekka, well, he's still a mystery."  
  
"Don't I know it," Sage muttered. "I don't think he's human. At all." At the other's silence, he continued. "Earlier today, during gym, he did this really fast move that no mortal could have pulled off. He kinda felt a little odd, too; you know, like there was something else about him that normal people would overlook. And not too long ago, I, er..." he faltered, unnerved by the memory.  
  
The Warlord of Cruelty, true to his name, knew exactly what he was trying to say, but still wanted to hear it for himself. "You what? Did something happen?"  
  
"Yeah. I saw him eating. Drinking, to be honest. It was a girl from class; I don't think he killed her, but I'm sure he drained enough so she won't be able to get up for a few days."  
  
"Drained her? Of what, her life force?" he loved playing devil's advocate.  
  
"No. Her blood. Rekka's some kind of vampire."  
  
"Yeah; so is Andros."  
  
"Mn. WHAT THE HELL DID YOU JUST SAY?" Sage shot upright, glaring at Anubis.  
  
The latter just chuckled. "They're both vampires, Sage. As far as I know, anyway."  
  
With a serious eye-twitch, the blonde tried to calm down. It barely worked. "Are you trying to tell me that you KNEW, this whole time, what I was going to tell you?"  
  
Anubis shrugged. "It was only a matter of time before someone with your abilities found out. Look, I don't know how Rekka's taking this--something tells me he knows you know about him--but I suggest you get things settled with him in a peaceful manner. Preferably before he considers you a threat."  
  
"How am I supposed to do that?"  
  
By this time, they pulled up in the restaurant parking lot, where Mia and her group were already there and waiting.  
  
Turning off the car, he responded, "For starters, don't talk to any of the others about this. Especially his MiniMe over there."  
  
"Huh? Oh, Ryo? Yeah, he WOULD go after him."  
  
"You're best bet is Andros or Dais," they took off their seat belts and got out. "They should help you get over it."  
  
Just for that, Sage slammed the door. "Excuse me?"  
  
Anubis had an eye-twitch of his own. Sighing, he explained, "You know as well as I do that you're not just going to pass this off without dissecting it. If you must..." he hesitated. "you can even go do some sort of 'reading' on him later on. Be careful, though: he may be able to sense you doing it."  
  
Sage frowned. "You're not funny, Anubis."  
  
"I'm not trying to be. Sage." With a desire to head off any unneeded battles, he added, "Come on, Halo. Let's wait with your friends and hope everyone else didn't decide to kill each other." 


	10. Some People You Really CAN'T Take Anywhe...

::ch. 8-some people you really CAN'T take anywhere::  
  
Disclaimer: i may not own things like that song i can't remember who sings and Jell-Oâ (lol), but now you'll finally see why this fic's rated R. ps: COLD ROCKS!!! *cheers and holds up the metal sign*  
  
DarkFlame136  
  
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
~*~Part Three: Proper Public Dining Etiquette--or, in this case, a Lack Thereof~*~  
  
Andros and Kale made it over without casualties.  
  
"Ooh, Chinese!" Kayura squealed, hopping over the car door.   
  
"Is this the one with the crab legs?" Sekhmet asked from the other car. Cye blanched.  
  
Kale shrugged. " 'think so." He noticed Cye's unhealthy complexion. "What's up with you?"  
  
"Oh, yeah..." an evil grin spread across the face of the Warlord of Venom. "Torrent's element is water."  
  
After they all filled out, Kale locked up. "What's that got to do with anything?"  
  
"I don't eat fish, Kale."  
  
"Crabs aren't fish..."  
  
Cye stormed off. Kale's eyes did yet another revolution. "Sekhmet."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Never mind."  
  
^^^***^^^ ^^^***^^^ ^^^***^^^ ^^^***^^^   
  
Like the lady said, it indeed was a Chinese buffet--all you can eat dinner for $17.95 on Thursdays. Today was Tuesday, so it was $20 for adults. Kids 12 and under always ate half price.  
  
The restaurant was one of the fancier ones, making them all glad they had decided to clean up before arriving. Not that the guys were having any progress in getting the phone numbers of the sexy waitresses.  
  
"And what would you like?" the shapely dark-haired beauty asked the four at one table.  
  
"That depends," Kale looked her in the eye. "What would YOU like?"  
  
"Ye gods," Dais sighed loudly enough for him to hear. He, along with Andros, Rekka, Kayura, and Ryo were one table over from him, Cye, Kento, and Sekhmet (Anubis, Sage, Mia, and Rowen were at the one in the middle), but he could still hear Kale's feeble attempts at getting a date.   
  
Sekhmet shared the same sentiments. "Dammit, Kale, just order already, since you'll probably get your drink before you get her!"  
  
Kento, who had also tried and failed, raised an eyebrow. "That was harsh."  
  
"So's dehydration. I'll have water, please," said Cye.  
  
"Herbal tea." (Sekhmet)  
  
"Cola." (Kento)  
  
"Coffee. Irish creme with a hint of brandy, easy on the sugar, no substitutes."  
  
The other three stared as the waitress scribbled his order. Kale shrugged. "I've missed some sleep, especially since that white-haired bitch over there torched my bed!"  
  
"White-haired bitch?" a shocked Dais looked around. "Who's he talking about? I bet they're in for it!"  
  
Kayura burst out laughing.  
  
"I'd say Talpa, but he's not here!" Ryo muttered.  
  
He suddenly felt Kayura's hand in a semi-kung fu grip on his shoulder. "What's that?"  
  
"I'd order a tequila, but I'm not in the mood for beer," he said a bit louder, immediately realizing that his cover up made him sound like an idiot.  
  
Dais turned to their waiter. "Long Island iced tea."  
  
"I'll have what he's having." (all except Kayura)  
  
"Sake." (Kayura)  
  
"Very well. I'll need some form of picture ID from all of you."  
  
Four driver's licenses and one student ID landed in the center of the table. He checked Kayura's first, then Dais', then Rekka's; he simply looked at the picture on Ryo's. Stared at it, to be more accurate.  
  
"Interesting."  
  
*sweatdrop from Kayura, Ryo*  
  
*Smug-ass grin from Dais*  
  
*Sesshoumaru-like mask on vampires' faces*  
  
"This is the first time I've ever had the pleasure of serving twins."  
  
"Really? That's news," a nervous chuckle from Ryo, who glanced at Rekka, hoping he wouldn't blow his cover. The latter scribbled something on a napkin, and passed it under the table.  
  
Ryo unfolded it while the waiter examined Andros' student ID.  
  
::for one who fights darkness, it sure saved your ass this time ^_~::  
  
'What? I'm not sure I follow.' He worked on that puzzle for a bit.  
  
"Mr. Sianto...I'm afraid I cannot accept this ID."  
  
The other 12 members of the party ceased talking, attempting to hear what was going on and not look like they were eavesdropping.  
  
Andros kept his poker face. "Why not? It's a picture ID."  
  
"Your age is not specified, Sir, and I do not recognize the school."  
  
"It's American. We recently transferred, so I have not received a student ID for my current school yet." He jerked his thumb at Rekka. "He--er, they, don't have theirs, either."  
  
"But they showed a driver's license. Do you have one, Sir?"  
  
"In my car. I don't keep it on me."  
  
"Then I'm afraid I cannot serve you this particular beverage."  
  
"...nani?" his eye twitched. "I'm older than your mother's grandfather's great-grandmother's older brother's great aunt! I've had alcohol before you've had a bottle!"  
  
"It shows."  
  
"Dais!"  
  
Rekka decided to pay Dais back for covering their asses earlier. Putting Andros in a semi-headlock, he explained his situation to the waiter. "You'll have to excuse our room mate. He's been under a lot of stress lately. Got anything to help him unwind?"  
  
He thought for a moment. "Not my usual, since he doesn't have proof of age. Oolong tea?"  
  
"Will do. Thank you; that will be all."  
  
The waiter made a note, then bowed before taking his leave.  
  
Andros muttered something in an old, almost forgotten language.  
  
Rekka answered in what sounded like Gaelic.  
  
Dais appeared to be the only person who knew what the hell they were talking about. "Considering that I'm the only one here with a REAL ID--"  
  
(Three guilty faces look somewhere else)  
  
"--I really don't think either of you have anything to say."  
  
Kayura shrugged it off. "Don't get mad because you're an old fart, Dais."  
  
He glared at her. "You don't look a day over one thousand yourself, Kayura. Or under, for that matter."  
  
"OOOHHHH!!!"  
  
Kayura growled. Suddenly, eight people just remembered something they had to tell the person across from them.  
  
"Hey, Mia, did you guys even get to order your drinks?" Ryo asked.  
  
"Yeah; we did before everyone else."  
  
"We all stuck with tea," Anubis added.   
  
"That's cool; most of us got the Long Island stuff. I wonder what that is?"  
  
If the table wasn't between, eight jaws would have hit the floor.  
  
Rekka found his voice first. Barely. "Um...Ryo..."  
  
Rowen finished, "You've never heard of Long Island iced tea?"  
  
He shook his head. "Nah; Dais ordered it and it sounded pretty different, so I figured I'd try some."  
  
One of the masho had a contagious coughing fit that suddenly spread to everyone else before it turned to outright laugher.  
  
O.O "Hey, what's so funny? Sage? Rowen? Cye?"  
  
Torrent wiped his eyes. "Sorry, mate, but--"  
  
Sekhmet tapped his shoulder and shook his head.  
  
"But--"  
  
"No way! This is one of those things a boy needs to find out for himself."  
  
"Call it a right of passage, if you will," supplied Anubis.  
  
"Or passing out."  
  
"Rekka!"  
  
"Andros."  
  
The blonde threw up his hands and sighed. "You're carrying him--"  
  
"Fine."  
  
  
  
Kento got up cracking his knuckles. "And I'm carrying myself over to the buffet!"  
  
'That sounds like an ordeal within itself' Sekhmet laughed to himself. "I second that notion," he got up as well, and went looking for the plates.  
  
"Oh, hell no!"  
  
"They'll eat everything before we even get there!"  
  
The other warlords and Kayura ran to grab their food while there was still any left.   
  
Rowen shrugged. "Might as well. Come on, guys."  
  
^^^***^^^ ^^^***^^^ ^^^***^^^ ^^^***^^^   
  
After their initial massacre on the food islands (tsch, i dunno what they're called), the rest of the people learned not to get in the way.   
  
Andros shook his head. "I still can't believe you snatched that egg roll off of that woman's plate, Kayura."  
  
She swallowed before answering. "Like she needed it; that lady should have concentrated more on the salad bar. Besides, it was the last one!"  
  
Mia overheard her last comment. "Maybe the guy would have refilled the tray if he wasn't so afraid of you all!" She took a glance at Sekhmet and Kento warily. "Especially those two."  
  
"Man, where the hell do you PUT it, Sekhmet?" Rowen asked.  
  
The Warlord of Venom was polishing off another plate of lo mien. "Skinny people get hungry, too."  
  
"That's you're FIFTH FUCKING plate, man!"  
  
"So? He's on his sixth," he pointed his fork at Kento, who finished his last spring roll. "Ok, seventh."  
  
Rekka sniffed the air. "Hmn..." he leaned over to Andros and whispered, "looks like they put more crab legs out."  
  
"CRAB LEGS?!?!" ZOOM!!!  
  
"Damn it all!"  
  
Rekka just about jumped backwards over his chair. "Come hell or high water, I'M GETTING SOME THIS TIME, DAMMIT!"  
  
A few screams were heard along his path, yet no one saw him rush by.  
  
"Rekka! Don't use your...you know!" Andros yelled behind over his shoulder.  
  
"I GOT SOME!!"  
  
"Really? BRING ME A PLATE!"  
  
Cye looked as if he was going to vomit. "How can you people eat those?"  
  
Sage was picking the shrimp out of his chow mien...and eating them one by one. "Some people are just insensitive, I guess."  
  
Sekhmet and Kento, on the other hand were already back, merrily making their way through a mass of claws and legs.  
  
CRACK! MUNCH!   
  
Cye was glancing back and forth between the two in horror.  
  
Kento: *around food* "Sekhmet?"  
  
Sekhmet: *manages a grunt*  
  
"Pass the butter."  
  
"Sure."  
  
Sekhmet then struggles with a claw. "Damn; can't get this one!"  
  
"I'll crack it," Kento offers.  
  
"Why, so you can eat it after?"  
  
"I'll do it, Sekhmet. I can even show you a trick so you can crack more than one at a time."  
  
"Cye, what are you doing?" Sage asked, a little unnerved by his friend's expression. 'He's already proven to have a flip-side!'  
  
Suspecting nothing, Sekhmet takes his offer. "Hey, you're not so bad, after all, Torrent!"  
  
"Put that claw on the plate, along with a few more."  
  
Sekhmet did as he was told. "Now what?"  
  
"Hold on!" Kento piled up his plate, too. "I want to try this!"  
  
"All right." Cye gets up and stands on the side of the table next to them. Kale, having enough experience with Dais, knew something funny was going to happen. He gets up as well, though not for the same reason.  
  
Andros looks over. "What's going on?"  
  
Kento answers, "Cye's gonna show us--"  
  
Cye grabs Kento and Sekhmet by the hair and smashes their faces into their plates.  
  
WHAM!   
  
"DUDE!!!!" Rekka shouts, throwing his hands in the air while giving the "metal" sign (you know, three fingers up, something like this: \m/ *thankies, Chris!*).  
  
"CYE!!"   
  
Cye then takes the still hot butter and pours it over their heads. "There. That's more like it." Then he calmly walks off to refill his own plate.  
  
A drunken Ryo raises his glass in the air. "Here's to our fishy friends! Save the whales, and all that other shit!"  
  
Mia raises an eyebrow. "He's in better spirits."  
  
"You mean too many. Ryo's drunk off his ass," Rekka informs her.   
  
"Yeah? What about that crazy Brit?" Kale walks over; taking Ryo's glass...taking Ryo's glass...and STILL taking Ryo's glass...  
  
"Dammit, Wildfire, lemme see the FUCKIN' GLASS!!"  
  
"NO! YOU CAN'T HAVE ANY!"  
  
Any other time, Kale would have simply kicked his ass. However, this was a public restaurant and people were already starting to give them all sideways glances. Instead, he simply sniffed the contents of the glass. "Long Island iced tea with extra sugar and a bit of lemon. How the hell did this kid get an alcoholic beverage?"  
  
A slew of culpable faces once again looked somewhere else. Kale threw up his hands and returned to his table. Sekhmet and Kento were trying in vain to get the melted butter out of their hair.   
  
The former glared at his comrade, who was just staring at him. "Are you going to stand there and look at us or are you going to help?"  
  
Kale said nothing in reply, but he did pick up two glasses of water. He slowly poured both over their heads, making sure to cover every strand of hair. "That should get the majority of it out. WAITER! MORE NAPKINS!"   
  
"Fuck it, I'm going to the bathroom!" Kento got up.   
  
"What good will that do?" Sekhmet growled. "Unless you stick your head in the toilet--"  
  
"No, SnakeMan, it's called the sink and the electric hand dryers!"   
  
Sekhmet thought for a moment, then nodded. "I guess you ARE capable of a good idea every once in a while!" Still dripping, they both went for the bathroom as Cye was heading back. Without pausing, the two caught each other's eyes.  
  
Sage and Rowen shared a panicked glance of their own. "Cye!"  
  
"Too late." Anubis pointed out.  
  
  
  
Cye turned his head. "Rowen? Sage? What's up?"  
  
Sekhmet took this time to stick out his foot; as fish boy tripped over it, Kento smoothly took the loaded plate off his hands.   
  
Cye hit the floor nose first with a muffled BOOM!. After helping themselves to the egg rolls on his plate, Kento dumped the rest of the food on the back of his head, placing the plate on top of the pile of noodles. Facing each other, they shook hands before continuing to the men's restroom.  
  
Mia was shocked. "Wow, who'd of thought that those two would work together so well?"  
  
Sage was surprised at her attitude. "You're not going to rush over and knock them senseless?"  
  
"Well...Cye DID kinda deserve it..."   
  
"He does seem different lately," Anubis commented. "I always thought he was the quiet, non-violent one."  
  
"Usually. He's just another little shit behind the wheel, though."  
  
The other three people at the table stared hard at the blond. "What?"   
  
Ryo laughed a little too loud. "Wow, Sagie, what the fuck crawled up your ass and died?"  
  
Sage indignantly took another swig out of his cup. "Piss off, Wildfarter."  
  
Rowen started laughing, then choking as a noodle got caught in his throat.  
  
Sage moved himself, his drink, and his plate over. "Dude, cover your mouth!"  
  
Mia got up and started hitting Rowen on the back. "He's choking!"  
  
"WOOO!!!! HIT HIS ASS!!!!"  
  
Dais, who was ready to stab him with a dessert spoon, looked from him to Sage and back again. "Anubis…" he gestured towards Sage's cup, which was almost drained of it's second refill.  
  
The red head immediately understood. He picked it up and handed it to Kale. "You're part canine; what the hell kinda tea is this?"  
  
Kale sneered, snatching it from his hand. "I might have be wolf in part, but you're a full fledged bitch."   
  
Anubis bit back his reply. 'Now's not the time, with all these minors around. Young people should not be exposed to certain phrases…no matter what their fake ass IDs say.' he glared at Kale. 'Damn fucking bloodhound…hurry the hell up!'  
  
Across the table, Sage winced. "Anubis, do me a favor and close off your thoughts or watch your DAMN, FUCKING LANGUAGE!"  
  
Next to him, Mia was giving Rowen--who was about as M&M blue as his armor--the Heimlich maneuver. "Hang in there, Rowen!"  
  
*gag* *gasp* "Mia--!"   
  
Kale finished his analysis. "Black tea with Jamaican rum." He took a sip. "Quite delicious, too." He threw back the rest of the cup. "OI, MAITRE-D! ANOTHER JAPA-JAMA KOOLAID!!" (lol; I don't even know if anyone's ever MIXED black tea and rum. Hey…*runs towards mini bar*)  
  
By this time, more than half the folks in the restaurant were gazing at them, and all decided to take the long way back to their seats from the buffet instead of going past them. People just walked over Cye, since his outfit blended in with the carpet so well.  
  
The nightly band was getting pissed off; everyone was paying more attention to the freaks near the food instead of them. They decided to play something a little faster.  
  
Kayura found herself nodding her head in time to the music. "Hey, that's pretty catchy!"  
  
Ryo thought so, too. "Yeah! STRIPPER MUSIC!!!"  
  
Rekka, who was destroying the shish kabobs like a dog with a bone, chewed slower and narrowed his eyes. "…'the hell…?"  
  
His "double" then decided to jump on the table and start dancing around.  
  
"Bloody hell…" Rekka growled. "Will someone get this FUCK off the table?!?!"  
  
"Quickly!" Mia looked over, still slamming her fist into Rowen's stomach/esophagus, "before he hurts himself!"  
  
"I'M gonna hurt him if he steps in my Jell-o!"  
  
Rowen was flopping up and down like a fish out of water from his unnecessary medical attention. "Mia…*gag!*..stop…!"  
  
Without missing a beat, Ryo took his shirt off, waving it around his head like a helicopter… *DarkFlame starts humming that part of one of the few rap songs she kinda likes*.   
  
Anubis, Kayura, and Kale immediately begin searching for their wallets. Sage quietly gets up and walks off, managing a somewhat straight course somewhere off to the side of the restaurant.   
  
Andros pulls out a $10. "Not too shabby, my friend, not too shabby." He slides it in his pants so that only half of the folded bill is visible. The other three come over and do the same with various values, ranging from ones to twenties.  
  
Rekka glowered at his partner. He shrugged. "What? I didn't have any change!"  
  
Ryo's having the time of his inebriated life. "Wha about you, Mr. Pirate? Aren't you gonna give me any booty?"  
  
The remaining masho laugh. Dais tries very hard not to jump up and put him out of his and everyone else's misery. "I'll give you five if you put your shirt back on, ten if you sit down, twenty if you shut up, and fifty if you take this tablecloth and quietly hang yourself in a dark corner."  
  
"Thas…*attempts counting on fingers*…more money than I have fingers! Rowie, you can count pass ten…" he tries to focus on his friend, but finds that a little hard when there's three Rowens dancing around in circles.  
  
Kayura glances over at Rowen, who's still under Dr. Coji's care. "Wow, that must be some piece of food stuck in his throat!"  
  
"Actually, he hasn't been choking for the past five minutes," a sulky Rekka points out.   
  
"But…she's been giving him the Heimlich for about six!"  
  
"Yeah…?" the vampire smiled, suddenly feeling a lot better due to someone else's pain, "You know, I think you're right, Kayura."  
  
Andros sighed. "Rekka, you bitch…Mia, he's fine, put him down before you kill him." He paused, noticing that there was one less person at their table. "Hey, where's Sage?"   
  
"Sage? I thought he was passed out on the floor!" Kale looked around, suddenly freezing when he saw the stage. "Oh, shit."  
  
Sage, not appearing the least bit drunk to anyone who didn't know what he had been drinking, instead looked like a lounge singer who's first debut was right here, right now. He nervously clutched the microphone stand, which was really the only thing keeping him upright.   
  
In a few seconds, the keyboardist started the tune. Before the first chord was through, Rekka knew the song. Andros did as well.  
  
"I didn't know he listened to Cold. That's one of your favorite bands, right?"  
  
The other was frowning. "For now, assuming he doesn't butcher the song in a drunken haze!"  
  
After a few measures, Halo began the words, shocking everyone with how well he sang them in his smooth tenor.  
  
Gave all the vampires back to God that day,  
  
no one got raped here, but the pain's still inside  
  
I never loved you, but I've got words to say  
  
no one betrayed here, but the memories lie  
  
Rekka only heard the first phrase. In a flash preceded by a small gasp, he remembered what had happened not too long ago. 'What the hell is he trying to pull?' he gave a low growl, allowing his eyes to narrow and turn a bright shade of crimson. In his current mood, he really didn't give a rat's ass who saw him.  
  
The other member of the undead realized what was going on around the same time as Anubis did. Without a word, Andros sent out a small surge of power that was just enough to short out the speakers, cutting off the last part of the second verse.   
  
~*FIZ, FIZ, CRAKLE*~ *THAT SOUND MACHINERY MAKES WHEN IT'S WINDING DOWN*  
  
Audience: "Awwwwwww…"  
  
"He wasn't too bad, either."  
  
"Not too bad? That was great!"  
  
"YAY, CUTE GUY!"  
  
"YOU CAN GIVE ME A PRIVATE SHOW ANYTIME!"  
  
Totally oblivious, Sage tapped the microphone with a finger. "Dammit, Andros, why'd you kill it?" he whined. The band members who weren't trying to fix the speakers stood in confusion.  
  
"Who the hell is Andros?"  
  
Speak of the devil…  
  
A very cute platinum blond youth came up on stage. "You ok, man? You didn't get shocked, did you?"  
  
"If I did, it'd be YOUR fault! ALL YOUR FAULT!!!   
  
Andros gave a little laugh outside, ("You'll have to excuse my friend, I think he got a little jolt when the short happened!"), but inside he was somewhere between curious, amused and annoyed, especially since he knew something was different about him from the moment they first met. 'The only thing worse than a psychic is a DRUNK psychic. Fuck. I just hope Rekka doesn't eradicate him before I can get anything from him. Not that I'd blame him…'  
  
Supporting Sage with one arm, he went back to the group. "Dais, what's the overall status of everyone else?"  
  
He didn't even have to think about it. "Two drunk, one lying face down on the floor, two in the bathroom doing who knows what, one catching his breath since the other stopped short of making his swallow his tongue, and half of the remaining six of us are just chilling while the rest just want this night to be over."  
  
"Or the world, which ever comes first."  
  
"Right." Dais sighed. "Let's split the bill and get the hell out of here."  
  
Anubis stood. "Kale, go find the other two clowns and tell them we're going. I'll take care of our share of the tab."  
  
"Works for me," he left without delay not because his leader told him to, but just in case he decided to switch things up and have HIM pay instead.  
  
A mostly recovered Rowen was about to take care of their end. Mia stopped him. "Don't bother, I'll get it. It's the least I can do for causing you any discomfort."  
  
Discomfort-his-ass. 'That psycho almost pushed my stomach out of my throat!' He smiled despite his second near brush with death that day. In reality, he never planned on taking the money out of his own wallet--Ryo had enough in his belt to cover half the group (Dais had added another $35, and five or six ladies stuck a few twenties in).  
  
Andros added his own share to the mini clipboard with the bill, along with a $40 tip for the waiters (half because the drinks were good, half for not calling the cops on them). "Rekka, grab your MiniMe so we can get going; someone has to peel Cye off the floor, too."   
  
Dais glanced over at his inert form. "He hasn't moved for a while, so he's dead or asleep."  
  
Anubis shrugged. "If it's the former, Sekhmet'll be out of a job." 'By the way, Dais: no pun intended, but keep an eye on Halo. He knows about Rekka'  
  
'That's bad. Andros is the nice one'  
  
'You told me' "I'll get Cye if you can the noodles off his head."  
  
"Just…I dunno, shake him upside down, or something!"  
  
"I'LL get Cye," Mia firmly put an end to their (out loud) conversation. "I don't need him getting any concussions."  
  
"More the reason one of us should handle him," Dais muttered. "What about Kale; he still hasn't come back yet with the others."  
  
Kayura yawned, stretching her arms. "He's got a car. He can catch up. I'm ready to call it a night."  
  
Dais dropped Kale a line, er, thought, or…whatever. 'Kale; I neither know nor want to know what's taking you three so long, but we're going now'  
  
"Huh?" he said aloud. 'Dais! I--oh, never mind. Sekhmet's at it again, that's all I'm saying. The rest may give the both of us nightmares for some time.'  
  
'Man, don't tell me he has dice on him!'  
  
'The less I say, the better. As long as I don't say anything, I can keep denying what I'm looking at and eventually forget everything'  
  
'Good luck, man' he shook his head. "Kale says Sekhmet's busted out the dice."  
  
"Good God!" Kayura grabbed Anubis by the arm. "Come on, Anubis, we have to do something about this!"  
  
He shook his head, "We can only hope. Besides, Kale's all grows up, he can handle himself."  
  
"What about Kento?" Rowen asked, "he's still in there, too!"  
  
Dais considered this, then nodded to himself. "He's fine. So far, he's been smart enough not to play him, and I don't think he'll change his mind."  
  
"How do you know, are you psychic or something?"  
  
The older man frowned. "You don't need any ESP for THAT one, Strata. What would YOUR reaction be to seeing your overly large friend without clothes?"  
  
Rowen shuddered, "I'd be a babbling idiot muttering incoherent phrases while stumbling around, slowly going blind and drooling all over the place."  
  
"And have you seen such a babbling idiot come out of the men's restroom?"  
  
"Oh. I see your point, Dais."  
  
"I knew you would, Rowen."  
  
The group finally blew that taco stand, three of them carrying a ronin over his or her shoulder (Ryo: "Does this mean we're married?"   
  
Rekka: "Never in a million years, Ryo."  
  
Andros: "Damn well better not, Rekka!"  
  
Sage: "O my GOSH--you two SLEPT with each other?"  
  
Rekka: "Damn fucking psychic--take your stuff out of the trunk, Andros, I'm killing him as soon as we get to the parking lot!"  
  
Andros: "Calm the fuck down, Rekka; people are staring at you!")  
  
To tell the truth, everyone with eyes was staring at them.  
  
(Lobster on a man's plate: "Hey, dude! Do you think that guy with the black hair's a serial killer or something?"  
  
Crawfish next to it: "Aren't WE supposed to be dead?"  
  
Lobster: *tsch* "This may be a Chinese restaurant, but we're still in Japan. Those guys love raw fish!"  
  
Crawfish: *whispers* "What do you say we make a run for it?"  
  
Lobster: *looks around* "Good plan. On three"  
  
Crawfish: "One--"  
  
Lobster: "--Two--"  
  
Crawfish & Lobster: "--THREE!!"  
  
*the man picks up the lobster, which immediately begins kicking and snapping its claws*  
  
Crawfish: "BOB! BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOB! HANG IN THERE, DUDE!"  
  
Lobster: "PUT ME DOWN, BITCH! YOU'LL HEAR FROM MY FUCKING LAWYER!!!!!!"  
  
Man: "WAITER! This lobster is undercooked! In fact, it's still alive!" *picks up the crawfish, which begins swearing in Latin* "So's this one!"  
  
Crawfish: "MERETRIX SORDIUS!!!" (at least, I THINK that's how you say "dirty whore"…*looks through list of words Katie gave her in 9th grade*)  
  
Waiter: "You must be the one who ordered the Chef's special. It's supposed to be prepared to your taste right in front of you! KAGA! YOU HAVE A CUSTOMER!"  
  
*A Japanese chef with glasses, a big smile, and an even larger knife bursts out of the kitchen door*  
  
Lobster & Crawfish: "AAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!")  
  
Dais jumped and looked over his shoulder. Rekka gave a malicious chuckle. Andros rolled his eyes. Sage muttered about noise pollution. Cye, well…poor sonofabitch.  
  
"Let me go, Mia! They need me! DON'T WORRY, GUYS! I'LL SAVE YOU!" he was attempting to get to his little arthropod buddies before the mean man with the butcher knife did.   
  
Anubis was walking beside Mia. "Say the word, and I'll knock him out for you."  
  
Rekka stared curiously at Dais, who continued glancing behind him. "I'm sure Kale and the others will catch up."  
  
" 'thought I heard screaming," he answered before thinking.  
  
"Is that right."  
  
'Oops.' Dais recalled his comment about "damn fucking psychics" and quickly, though foolishly, changed the subject. "That song Sage was singing earlier; Andros said you know it. What's the title?"  
  
Rekka turned away, but not before the light caught one of his fangs. "Sick of Man." 


	11. IntermissionKale's Chibi Adventure, Part...

Ok, my loyal subjects--*er, i mean* fans, DarkFlame's gonna do something a little different, she is. i'm going to make a story inside a story. remember when Sekhmet and Kento went to the bathroom to clean up, and they never came back? Anubis sent Kale to go get them, but he never came back, either. what the hell happened? were they sucked into a wormhole and transported into a parallel universe where people eat and talk through their asses and take a whiz, etc. through their mouths? *thinks for a moment* hey...that could explain the phrase "potty mouth"... *shakes head as if to clear it* tell me how you like this new approach, k? what started as part of VRW's eighth chapter is instead going out into the world on its lonesome. Sortta; it's still connected to the main story. i guess.  
DarkFlame136  
  
Ps: my card references in the side-story...a cookie and mounds of praise to anyone who knows what the last two cards revealed in the Chibi Adventure correspond to in Tarot =)  
  
Disclaimer: same 'ole thang, peoples, same 'ole thang. that's why i'm not really doing one for this part of the story ;þ  
  
Kale's Chibi Adventure, Part I ::In the Bathroom, the Mighty Bathroom...::  
  
Kale found Sekhmet and Kento--along with five other people (luckily all male) in the men's restroom. All were sitting in the center of the room around mounds. The outer ones were two piles of money, one in change, one in bills. A third pile between the two held miscellaneous items, such as shoes, clothes, a sword, credit cards, car keys, property deeds, etc.  
  
Sekhmet, with a cup and two dice, was staring intently at the green haired man in front of him. The man stared back.  
  
"You're probably better off backing out, you know. After this, you'll have nothing left to put down, Spiegal."  
  
Spike didn't flinch. "You may have stolen my hair, but there's no way you're stealing my money." He took a set of keys out of his suit pocket. "I'll even throw in the Swordfish."  
  
Sekhmet frowned. "I've had enough seafood for one night, thank you."  
  
Next to him, Kento shuddered at the memory. 'That damn butter smell's probably NEVER going to come out of my hair!' He still couldn't really believe how Cye had gone two-face on him like that.  
  
"Spike!" an older man with cyborg parts and a pair of nifty boxers yelled. "You've seen how the others lost to this guy--he's worse than Fey! Don't you DARE put up your ship!"  
  
"Relax, Jet. I've never lost before. Why start now?"  
  
A third man who kinda looked like Jet spoke up. Hell, he even had on the same pair of boxers. "Yeah, that's exactly what Lupin said, and look at him now!"  
  
The man in his birthday suit sitting across from him--cross-legged with his hands covering most of it, mind you--scowled. "Oh, shut up, Jigen! If Spike wins this, we can all get our stuff back. If he doesn't, well...Big Boy over there still hasn't gone yet!"  
  
Kento's eyes widened. "No way! I'M not playing him!"  
  
"Wise choice, boy. I don't think ANYONE wants to see you lose, if you get my drift."  
  
"What?" he craned his neck to see towards the door, where a second Masho stood with a peculiar expression on his face. "KALE?!"  
  
Sekhmet smiled up at the Warlord of Darkness. "Did you miss us?"  
  
"No," he sighed. "If i left and told the others that you're having an orgy, would i be lying or telling the truth?"  
  
"It's a dice game, hentai."  
  
"Then why are most of the people in the room lounging around in their underwear?" he jerked his thumb towards Lupin. "And where the fuck is his? I did NOT come in here to see that!"  
  
His comrade gave an evil chuckle. "Some people have a gambling problem, Kale."  
  
"I think ANYONE who goes against you has a gambling problem."  
  
"You're not jumping in, then?" Kento asked, a bit disappointed. Not that he WANTED to see Kale butt-naked, but he did want to see him thoroughly embarrassed.  
  
His eye-twitched as he thought of the double meaning of his question (they WERE in a room full of almost naked men, you know. The one in the loincloth was making him especially nervous). "I'd just as soon play a snake. Oh, wait..."  
  
Sekhmet rolled his eyes. "The dice aren't rigged, you know."  
  
"Speaking of which," Spike interrupted, "are we going to play or what?"  
  
"Fine, fine, if you're in THAT much of a hurry to lose." With the dice between two fingers, he snatched them up with the cup. Rattling them around a bit, he then slammed the cup on the floor. "Well now, bounty hunter. Evens or odds? Seven or eleven is an automatic win, two ones an automatic loss. You feeling lucky today?"  
  
Kale shook his head with a sad smile, feeling genuinely sorry for the young man. He had guts for taking a turn, with all the other object lessons in view. 'He's still a fool if he thinks he stands a chance.'  
  
"I'm feeling extremely lucky today. Evens. And make sure you give Lupin and Goemon back their stuff first!"  
  
"PLEASE!" everyone else pleaded. The two mentioned frowned.  
  
"Bold words." Sekhmet removed the cup, revealing the dice. His eyes widened at the two sixes. "Evens."  
  
"ALLRIGHT, SPIKE!" Kento cheered, both surprised and glad someone finally beat the Warlord of Venom.  
  
"WAY TO GO, MAN!"  
  
"HEY, THESE AREN'T MY PANTS!"  
  
"GIMME MY SHIRT!"  
  
"I'M NOT TOUCHING THOSE DRAWERS, MAN!"  
  
"GODS, THESE SOCKS STINK!"  
  
Kale raised an eyebrow. "Well, now. If you are done swindling people, can we leave now?"  
  
"Fine. Let's go, Hardrock."  
  
"Not quite yet, gentlemen."  
  
Everyone looked at Spike. "You know the rules. Anyone who comes in has to play, remember?"  
  
Everyone looked at Sekhmet. "That was before anyone won. Now there's nothing in the pot, since you got it all."  
  
Everyone looked at Kale. Kale didn't budge. "I'm still not playing."  
  
"Oh, yes you are." Spike took the cup and dice. "You can play me instead, if you wish."  
  
"I don't do dice."  
  
"He prefers cards, which I'm sure no one has," Sekhmet informed him.  
  
The other watermelon green-haired man pulled a Bicycle deck out of his coat pocket. "Gimme the game and I'll deal out the hand."  
  
Kale stared at him. "There's a reason I don't gamble, you know. I never bet low, and high stakes can be quite dangerous." His tone of voice, however, did not suggest that the odds were against him.  
  
"No one's leaving until you've had a go." Spike said in a sing-song voice. Jet groaned, holding his head in his hand. 'We're gonna be here all night...'  
  
'Kale; I neither know nor want to know what's taking you three so long, but we're going now'  
  
"Huh?" he said aloud. 'Dais! I--oh, never mind. Sekhmet's at it again, that's all I'm saying. The rest may give the both of us nightmares for some time.'  
  
'Man, don't tell me he has dice on him!'  
  
'The less I say, the better. As long as I don't say anything, I can keep denying and eventually forget everything'  
  
'Good luck, man'  
  
Kale ignored the raised eyebrow from Spike. "Don't ask."  
  
"Having voices in your head does not get you out of this."  
  
The other man scowled. "Why is it that almost everyone i meet is so quick to lose something?"  
  
Spike shrugged, shuffling the cards. "Must be something in the water."  
  
'Too bad it's not arsenic' "It's late, I'm tired, and I'm not hanging around in a bathroom all night."  
  
Spike shrugged. "Shortest game I can think of is Twenty One."  
  
*sigh* "Fine. One game only, me against dealer. I win...I get something from all of you."  
  
"And if I win, I get something from you three," he slid a face down card towards Kale who was still leaning on the doorframe. After dealing him a face up card, Queen of Spades, he gave himself one face up, one face down. "Aces are eleven or one, face cards ten." Spike's first card was King of Diamonds.  
  
Before he could flip the face down card, Kale stopped him. "Let's make this more interesting, shall we? We can still get another hit if we choose, but without seeing our facedown card."  
  
"Ooh, I like a man that takes risks," with a smile, Spike folded his arms. "I'm staying."  
  
Kale smiled as well. "Funny that...so am I."  
  
"By the way...that's a nice watch you have there. I think it would look better on my wrist, though, don't you think?"  
  
Kale rolled his eyes. "Aren't we energetic today!"  
  
Sekhmet and Kento looked at him, then at each other, confirming their suspicions by the expressions on each of their faces. "Kale, you're not going to..."  
  
"What if I am? He's the one that wanted to play, no one stopped him, and I've been wanting to try something with my weapon."  
  
By some interesting quirk of nature that goes against all biological possibilities, the normally pale Warlord of Venom somehow or another managed to lose about two more shades of pigment in his face. "Shit, what if it works? I am so NOT hanging around with a bunch of empty shells!"  
  
Kento had no idea what they were talking about, but he felt it necessary to say something, anyway. "Um, then what do you call those tin cans you guys are always dragging around after you?"  
  
A quick glance from Kale kept him from voicing his own thoughts. There would be time for "constructive criticism" later on. "Just hurry up and win so I can get the hell out of here before you raise it!"  
  
"I'm just waiting for Mr. Dealer here to turn over or ante up without the ado," was the innocent reply.  
  
"Hmmm....no sense in asking you to humor my curiosity and go first?"  
  
"Naturally."  
  
"All righty. Each on three?"  
  
"Whatever floats your boat." Kale walked the few steps between him and his hand and knelt down. Both had their hands on their face down cards. Everyone else had their fingers crossed, holding their breath and not making a sound. The two players stared at each other, neither daring to blink. A tumbleweed makes its way across the bathroom floor and out the door. A waitress carrying a load of drinks trips over it and falls with curses and a loud crash.  
  
"What the hell..." Kale muttered, his eyes sliding towards the door.  
  
"Oi, game's down here, buddy."  
  
With a glare, Kale began turning over his own card at the same time Spike starts to reveal his.  
  
*DRUM ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO....*  
  
**************************************************************************** *********  
  
Yeah, that's right i'm making you wait. ;p 


	12. Intermission cont: Kale's Chibi Adventur...

Kale's Chibi Adventure, Part II ::Still in the Bathroom Like a Champion Pie Eater after the County Fair::  
  
*...OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL*  
  
O.o "The F*CK!"  
  
A collective gasp was heard around the room. Sekhmet, in a very rare moment of compassion, grabbed Kento's arm and was out the door before anyone figured out he wasn't there anymore.  
  
*Outside the bathroom*  
  
"Hey!" he jerked his arm free. "Care to explain that?"  
  
Sekhmet sighed. "Not really. I thought I might spare your mind any further damage."  
  
"Well, he won, didn't he?"  
  
Stepping around the spilled drinks, broken glass, and pissed off waitress on her knees in the middle of it all, ripping apart the tumbleweed with her nails and teeth, he steered Kento towards the exit. "You can't be as dumb as you look--I KNOW you know what the penalty is for losing to him!"  
  
Hardrock blanched. "So he was serous about taking--"  
  
"--My SOUL? You are SO not serious!"  
  
Back in the restroom, Spike sounded a lot more amused than he felt. He didn't believe in things like sorcery and the like, but that small, glowing orb the other man held in his open palm was making him nervous. 'Then again,' he quickly glanced down at his previously hidden card, the Nine of Spades, and at Kale's second card, the Ace of Spades. 'I also didn't believe I'd actually lose!'  
  
Kale gave a dark chuckle. "Of course not." He regarded the other guys, who unconsciously had backed off to the other side of the room. "The deal was if you lost, I get something from EVERYONE; not just you!"  
  
"Goemon," Lupin whispered, "Any idea what that weird thing he's holding is?"  
  
Said swordsman swallowed. "Oh, yeah. It is very old and very, very powerful."  
  
"Any idea what it's worth?" his other two companions asked at the same time, that familiar, calculating light shining in their eyes.  
  
"I wouldn't recommend trying to take that, Lupin."  
  
"But it looks so ~*pwetty*~ !!!"  
  
"It's not a jewel, simpleton," Kale, complete with wolf-like hearing, overheard their conversation. "It's a weapon."  
  
Jet's curiosity got the better of him and he walked over and peered down at the object he was holding. He could feel some sort of energy coming from it, but he passed it off as his imagination. "Hold on a second. Are you trying to tell me that that little incandescent sphere is a weapon?"  
  
"Yes...and no. I can show you how it works, if you'd like..."  
  
Goemon drew his sword. "Don't do it!" "Jet..." Spike cautioned.  
  
*random person from the audience* "DO IT!"  
  
"If you say so. What's the worst that could happen, I bet it's just a bluff, anyway." Reaching out with his cyborg arm, he poked it. And poked it. And poked it.  
  
And everyone accidentally breathed a sigh of relief when nothing happened, then tried to look as if that's exactly what was expected.  
  
"Ancient weapon, eh?" Jigen elbowed Goemon's shoulder. The latter just gave him a dirty look  
  
Kale made a noise. "Hmm...humor me and try the other hand, if you would."  
  
*pokepokepokepokepokepokepokepoke*  
  
"Mainly so you don't break it if you insist on poking it!"  
  
*pokepokepoke* Jet laughed. "Like it'll make a difference--" he trailed off, his human finger seemingly glued to the orb, which began pulsing furiously with a strange hum.  
  
"Jet?" Spike stared at his friend. He didn't respond. The dark light coming from the object in Kale's hand began to creep up the other man's arm and completely surround his rigid body. "JET!"  
  
Extremely fast, Goemon was able to restrain him before he moved very far. "He's gone, Spike. Don't touch him or your soul will be taken, too!"  
  
"Say WHAT? I don't know what the hell's going on, but I'm willing to bet he has some kind of drug or poison in that thing. Soul stealing? That's a load of--"  
  
THUMP!  
  
Jet's now limp form heavily collapsed to the floor, totally cutting him off. Kale, in the meantime, was just as surprised. "Well, now. I guess it really DOES work, after all!" He looked approvingly at his armor's orb.  
  
"What? You mean you weren't even sure if it would have worked?" Goemon was extremely put out with himself for missing his chance. 'Dammit! If I had known of his uncertainty, I would have attacked and this wouldn't have happened!'  
  
"I did say I wanted to TRY something. I never said whether or not I knew it would work. Too bad; you could have used that to your advantage. Let's finish this, shall we? I'd say this isn't going to hurt much, but I didn't get any feed back from this other guy, you know?" He nudged Jet's unconscious body with the tip of his shoe.  
  
"You bastard!" Spike was up and had his gun drawn, ready to make the Warlord of Darkness quite "holy" indeed (Ha! Sorry, i HAD to put that there!), when the evil energy from Kale's orb lashed out and wrapped its tendrils around the survivors (think Naraku's hair...), immediately shocking their nerves so action potentials could not be produced at the synapses--  
  
SLAP! ...ouch... *DarkFlame looks at her red hand and the mark she left on her face. 'the crap that Bio 108 can do to the head...' *  
  
Anyway, the point being, no one could move after the darkness had touched them. Kale then proceeded to literally suck the life out of the other four and into his orb. His equally evil laugh was challenged only by the clatter of Spike's gun and Goemon's sword clattering to the tiled floor, followed by the collapsing of the inanimate bodies of the unlucky victims...and a strange choking spell.  
  
"MUHAHAHA-- *cough, cough ~*gasp*~ *hack, cough* "um...right..."  
  
Clearing his throat, Kale pocketed his armor ball, stepped over the bodies, and opened the door. Before he walked out, something else popped into his mind. "Oh, yeah..." Turning to the seemingly dead bodies littering the floor, he said, "Try not to cause too much trouble when you wake up, k?"  
No response.  
  
Whistling to himself, he went to go catch up with the others and hopefully get to try out his new toy. 'Preferably on that annoying blond who can't hold his liquor...' 


	13. More Q Than A

Nyghtvision: glad to hear you worship the ground i walk on. Wait...did i say that out loud? 6O.o (laughs) thanks a bunch for the review, hon =)  
-DarkFlame136   
  
Disclaimer: same 'ole thang, peoples, same 'ole thang.  
  
Somehow or another, they all ended up at Mia's mansion. Possibilities include, but are not limited to:  
  
a.) there were enough sober people to drive   
b.) there were people sober enough to drive   
c.) everyone with health issues lived, there, anyway, so they might as well take the poor slobs home.  
  
Once inside, Rowen summed up what was on everyone's mind in three words:  
  
"What. the. fuck."  
  
A weary Dais crashed on the easychair. "Is that a question or a statement?"  
  
Everyone carrying a ronin went upstairs to deposit him in his room. Once back downstairs, Lady Kayura collapsed on the couch while Rekka and Andros stuck together on the loveseat (this time, not literally, folks). The former was still glowering over Sage, so it was Andros who spoke next.  
  
"Are you people always like this, or was tonight a special occasion?"  
  
Mia sighed. "Sorry about that. We aren't usually this...exciting."  
  
Dais gave a small chuckle, then visibly winced. "Ouch."  
  
Kayura made a face. " 'you ok? You look pretty hung-over yourself, Dais."  
  
"Headache."  
  
"Do you want to lay down?" Mia offered. Rowen started. "MIA!"  
  
"It's ok. I could use some hot water, though; I have a few of Sekhmet's herbal tea bags."  
  
Rekka suddenly laughed. "Isn't that why your head hurts to begin with?"  
  
Dais glared at him. "As I recall, you've had more than any of us." He paused, thinking of Wildfire. "Well, maybe not ALL of us, but you get the idea."  
  
" 'One tequilla, two tequilla, three tequilla, floor.' "  
  
Anubis couldn't help but laugh. "Yes, that IS pretty much what happened to your double!"  
  
"Oh, can't forget Halo," Kayura reminded them. "He was a bit delirious himself!"  
  
"Yeah. Someone should go see how much blood's in his alcohol system."  
  
Everyone except Rowen and Andros practically fell over laughing.  
  
"I thought it was how much alcohol's in his blood system?" the former asked.  
  
Rekka shrugged. "Personally, I think there's a higher concentration of the solute than the solvent in this case."  
  
_'I hope you're not thinking of testing that theory'  
_  
_'Relax, Andros. I'm not hungry, anyway. He got lucky tonight'  
_  
Rowen didn't hear a word of their private conversation, though he did remember something he heard Sage say about vampires. Put that together with what happened that day in gym...  
  
"I don't know about you people, but I have homework. I'll be...somewhere." Rowen bowed himself out of the room in this not-so-graceful manner, heading towards the kitchen.  
  
Anubis got up as well. "I'm going to go now." He glared at Kayura. "And I'm taking the car. The last time I let you use it, I founded impounded on the other side of the damn island. Good night, everyone."  
  
She scoffed as he headed out the door. "I don't see what the problem was...I _could_ have left it with an empty tank, too, and not bothered to paint over the scratches with my expensive name-brand nail polish!"  
  
"Rowen, while you're in there, could you put on some water for Dais?" Mia called after the other boy, choosing not to think about Kayura's ranting.  
  
'Dammit!' "Sure."  
  
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::  
::in the kitchen::  
  
He filled up the kettle enough for two people, thinking he'll get some coffee or whatever. By his calculations, tonight was gonna be a long one. 'Why do I always get stuck with the bitch-work?' he asked himself, turning on the stove.  
  
"Because you've been acting like one ever since we got back."  
  
"Fuck off, Dais. I'm not in the mood now."  
  
Taking a seat at the table, he decided not to point out that he hadn't said anything out loud before that. "I'll pass, thank you."  
  
Rowen didn't bother replying. He just collapsed into a chair across from him. "I'm just going to assume you won't try to kill me."  
  
Dais shrugged. "I don't feel like it. Too tired."  
  
The blue haired youth raised an eyebrow. "Even if Talpa's big ugly head showed up and gave you a direct order?"  
  
"I'd act like I'm passed out and too drunk to follow it. That should get me slightly off the hook if and when I regain consciousness and suddenly develop Tourrete's. It shouldn't be a problem, though...at least I don't sense him getting ready to do something."  
  
"What do you mean _sense_ him?"  
  
He shrugged. "You know...when you get that feeling something's about to happen. Ask the green one, he'll know what I'm talking about." As an afterthought, he added, "I know you don't trust me enough to get your drink, so I thought I'd let you know the water's done."  
  
"Green one? You mean Sage, right? And, no, the water's--"  
  
TOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO  
  
"--not done yet." Giving the older man a funny look, he got up and turned off the stove. He ended up making himself tea and just handing Dais a mug of hot water, into which the latter dropped a tea bag into that he had produced from his shirt pocket. "Mary Jane?"  
  
"Somehow I would not be surprised if you DID figure out how to use it like this."  
  
"What's that supposed to mean?!"  
  
"Nothing. And if you're wondering how I knew about the kettle, it's because steam was coming out."  
  
"Huh?" Rowen was confused for a moment. "Oh, yeah.  
  
::in the livingroom::  
While the two of them were giving each other shifty looks, a rather interesting scene was about to unfold in the living room. It began with Andros giving a sudden gasp before narrowing his eyes. He looked over at his mate, who, with a curious look on his face, met his eyes and nodded.  
  
_'What do you think has him so spooked?'  
'I guess we'll find out soon enough'_  
  
Mia frowned. "Is something wrong?"  
  
Rattle Rattle Rattle  
  
Kayura nearly jumped out of her seat. "What the hell was that?"  
  
"No way! I'm sure they're home!"   
"Don't you have a key or something?"  
"It's--"   
"No time!"  
  
"There's someone outside, Lady."  
  
She glared at Andros. "No shit, Sherlock--"  
  
"Mia, you might want to let them in before Sekhmet does something rash."  
  
Said brunette blinked. "What? Sekhmet? I thought I heard Kento..."  
  
"Woah, man! WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!?!"  
  
SMASH!  
  
Kento's last words and everyone's surprised gasps were drowned out by the shattering of the front window, along with the tinkering of glass and a heavy THUD as Sekhmet, curled into a ball, came flying through the window, hit the floor, and rolled a few feet. As he shot up and headed towards the door, the sound of a lock turning resounded through the still air. The door slowly squeaked open, revealing a frowning, blue-haired heavy set teenager twirling a key ring on his index finger. His words were without emotion. "As I was saying, the key was in my pocket."  
  
Bits of glass fell from the other man's hair as he blinked and managed to utter a response. "Oh."  
  
--x "Sekhmet."  
  
"...yes, Mia?"  
  
The other four people in the living room, counting Kento, slowly backed off to the side farthest away from the scene.  
  
"WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING, YOU STUPID FREAK! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MUCH IT COSTS TO REPLACE A WINDOW THAT FUCKIN' LARGE?!"   
  
'Oh, shit.' "But--"  
  
"BUT NOTHING!"  
  
Dais and Rowen, in the meantime, were watching from the kitchen door with steaming mugs and stoic expressions. "How much of a chance do you think he has?"  
  
Rowen took a sip of tea. "Zero to none."  
  
Sekhmet glanced around Mia and saw the two. "Dais!" Dodging the fuming lady of the house, he grabbed onto his comrade's shoulders and began shaking him, sloshing hot tea all over the place. "How much do you remember about Kale's armor limits, stolen souls, Cowboy Bebop, Lupin III and _Army of Darkness_?"  
  
"Ouch! THAT SHIT'S HOT!" Rowen screamed, jumping back and spilling some of his own drink.  
  
Dais (who was beginning to look like this: Ovo;; ) managed to shove off Snake Man and was trying to calm him down so he could figure out what the hell was going on.  
  
His first statement was as quiet as it was slow and deliberate. "I know...that you are not supposed to underline t.v. show titles." SLAP! "Get a hold of yourself, Sekhmet!"  
  
The other just stared at him for a few seconds. Then he touched his face. "...Ouch...thanks, man."  
  
He frowned, taking some of the offered napkins from Rowen and blotting off his shirt. "That's what I'm here for. Now, if you don't mind, would you share in a more coherent way what in the nine hells possessed you to dive through the front window, piss off Mia, and shake me like a YooHoo?"  
  
Andros nodded, speaking for himself, Rekka, and probably everyone else as well. "We're a bit curious as well about what happened between the time you guys went to the bathroom and now."  
  
"Huh?" Kento blinked. "I thought you guys were psychics? Doesn't that mean you already know what's going on?"  
  
SLAP!  
  
"Ow, what the hell? I'm not hysterical!"  
  
"Nah," the blond vampire cracked his knuckles one-handed Inuyasha style. "That was just principle."


End file.
